Our 2nd Trip to WDW in 5 Months: A Mini Magical Gathering About This Page:

[Jennifer2003]

May 7 – 12, 2004 Pop Century



<font color="blue"> Mouseketeers:

Jennifer (me) – 25, 3rd trip to WDW

John (DH) – 32, 2nd trip to WDW

Chris (DH’s Cousin) – 26, 1st trip to WDW

Kelly (DH’s Cousin’s Wife) – 26, 1st trip to WDW

Al (DH’s Cousin &amp; Chris’s younger brother) – 24, Cast Member

</font>



Background:

John and I got married in late November of 2003. Throughout our long engagement, I never really paid attention to the wedding details like most girls do. I was all about the honeymoon and told John there was no say in the matter. We were going to Walt Disney World. He’d never been there and thankfully he was fine going. Neither one of us are lay-around-on-the-beach-people. We’re always on the go. To people we’re close to, WDW made sense!



Our wedding was wonderful! Everything went smoothly, I didn’t faint or get sick to my stomach, dinner was great, and people still say our wedding was the best wedding in a long time. I danced the whole night, and when it was all over, I’d be moving into the house John and I bought for a few hours and then hopping a plane to Orlando!



Our honeymoon was 8 days and 8 nights. We had the most wonderful time. WDW was more than I remembered it was. I was there with my parents and younger brothers for my 14th birthday and the memories were starting to fade. For years, I was able to joke that I still remembered where all the bathrooms were! But when I walked into the Magic Kingdom for the first time, I became disoriented. I remembered seeing the castle the minute you walked in, and I wasn’t seeing it! I didn’t remember town square and the little jot you have to make to be able to see the castle. Once I saw it, I was fine. I knew my place!!



On December 7, our honeymoon was over and we had to come back to the non-Disney world. Life as we knew it had changed. We now knew of a place where time slowed down, where famous cartoon faces came to life, and all that really mattered was happiness and being together. And we had to leave it?? Were we crazy? Talks immediately began of a return trip a year later, but as the months moved forward, neither one of us could wait that long. In March, we started to talk about the fall when the off season rates began again to save money, but then with the help of these boards and some info from the Official Disneyworld site, I learned of these nifty little things called ANNUAL PASSES. After making some calls, we were told by WDW Guest Services that because our Park Hopper Pluses still had the Pluses on them (we never intended on using them anyways) that we could upgrade them to AP’s and not pay for new PH’s! We were given an anniversary date of November 29 2003, meaning the AP’s would expire that day in 2004. (For those of you playing the home game, remember this date)



We needed to move our trip up! YAY!



All this time, John’s cousin Al was working at WDW. He was there on our honeymoon as a member of the College Program, and then when he was done with that, he got hired into WDW as a character. We knew he was leaving WDW for good in May, so we called him up to get the specifics and maybe plan something around him. He told us when he thought his last day would be, we looked online for airfare, called 407-WDISNEY to get the best rate we could (AP RATES!) and booked our trip for May 7 to May 12!!



We were so excited! I didn’t sleep much the night we decided we would go and I did NOTHING at work after we booked our trip on lunch the next day. How could we?? We were going back to WDW!



Here’s some more fun information: I casually told Chris (Al’s brother, John’s cousin) about the trip and casually suggested he and his wife Kelly to come along. I got the typical “That’s cool!” reply from him. About a week later, I got an email from Kelly needing our hotel and flight information because they wanted to come too!!!



It had become a Mini Magical Gathering!! See what Disney can do!



Up next: The night before the trip and saying goodbye to my “Friends”

[buckysmom]

Great beginning, I'm looking forward to more!

[luvnwdwgal]

Great start Jennifer!!! Looking forward to the rest!!

[statelady01]

Great start- thank you!

[goofy4goofy]

Great start! I can't wait for more!

Kelly

[Mel & Richard]

Great TR! I can't wait to hear about your trip. I am also curious about November 29...

Mel

[DrDolphin]

Great start!!!

[JenS]

I am looking forward to hearing all about your Mini Magical Gathering!!

[Jennifer2003]

The Night Before the Trip &amp; Saying Goodbye to my “Friends”

Thursday, May 6, 2004:

I was at work all day on Thursday May 6. Was I working? What do you think?!?! The hours were winding down. I was full of mixed emotions. Yes, I was going to WDW the next morning, and I didn’t have to go to my wonderful job. (Yes that’s sarcasm folks) So on one side, I was happy, thrilled, excited!! But, there was this other side of me that at 8PM had to say goodbye to these six great “Friends” I had grown to know over the last 10 years. Yes, I am talking about Monica, Chandler, Ross, Rachel, Joey and Phoebe. If I’m not talking about WDW, I am talking about this show. I know, I know, it’s a television show…fictional characters! This show had such an impact on me, it was killing me to have to say goodbye.

So what was the best way for me to get over the loss? Hop a plane to Orlando the next morning!

Since I got married, I would go to my mom’s house on Thursday for Friends and Survivor, do my Avon order if it was an Avon week, and then high tail it home for ER at 10. This week, I asked my mom to come to my house so I could pack, be with my cats, and watch Friends before my trip. We ordered a pizza and got settled in for a Kleenex filled night. (John went to his mom’s. He hates the show.)

At 9:58 PM, I bawled like a baby. Bawled because Friends was over, bawled because I was going to WDW, bawled just to bawl. My mom left when Friends was over. She was picking us up at 5:30 the next morning, so she needed to go home to bed. I finished going over the last minute packing stuff and tried to sleep.

I couldn’t sleep. I think I dozed off between 2 AM and 4 AM, but that was it. I was too excited! My mom was coming for us in an hour and a half!!! Southwest Airlines was taking John and I back to WDW!

Up next: What happens when you don’t sleep and end up in the Magic Kingdom on the same day.

[Grammy Grumpy]

Wow, what a magical experience. Can't wait to hear the whole story!!

[ilovelilo]

I like your trip report so far! Looking forward to more!

[DrDolphin]

Great installment (FYI I cried too) -- I can't wait to read more.

[Mel & Richard]

I'm hoping what happens is that you had a great time.

Mel

[MegglesMom]

What a wonderful way to cheer yourself up after the end of Friends! Can't wait 'til the next installment...

[luvnwdwgal]

I hated saying goodbye to them too! Unfortunately I didn't get to go to WDW the next day though.