I've had more "girls trips" this year than I have had in my entire life. And I find it a little bit ironic that I've taken more trips post-wedding than before I was married! This was the mother of all weekends though. A few months ago, my sweet friend Randi emailed me to invite me on a trip to go to the "Happiest Place on Earth" with her and my other sweet friend Kendal. For some of you, that may be Disney World...yes, we went there too. But for the three of us....the "Happiest Place on Earth" is the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
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The moon was still out when
dear Randi got us up! |
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| Space Mountain! |
It was with a heavy heart that I boarded the plane last Thursday after a horrific week of Sandy aftermath. My husband and pup were home in the dark still waiting for electricity to be restored. But this weekend was one of the most highly anticipated weekends of the year, and after 100 "are you sure it's OK if I go?" conversations with Mike, I left NYC for sunny Orlando Florida to see my girls.
Did they greet me with hugs? Nope (well...eventually). They hid in the bushes for an hour until I arrived so that they could pop out of the trees and scare the sh*t out of me. It didn't take them long to make irrational purchases of Mickey merchandise, and they made sure to have some for me when I arrived at the Old Key West Resort. But don't worry...my Mickey flashlight/light saber can double as an illumination device in the event that I was still out of power when I returned to New York. All joking aside, I was happy and relieved to see Randi & Kendal. It was like two little rays of sunshine that made me forget about everything terrible that happened from the hurricane...and even though I was still a bit traumatized, I couldn't help but laugh and giggle with them as we stayed up until 1am talking in our PJs.
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Happy girls at the happiest
place on earth |
That was probably a bad decision because Randi made sure we were all awake before the sun came up so that we could be at the Magic Kingdom before it opened. While the moon was still in the sky, we donned our themed attire (day 1 was sequins day...yes, we're not too fancy to wear sequins to an amusement park). It was chilly, I could see my breath in the air, and we all had scarves around our shoulders to keep warm. We were there to watch the gates open, and it was glorious. I'm not sure if there is any better way to start your day than to have Mickey and Minnie singing "Good Morning" to you!
AND, Randi is genius, because we didn't wait in line for one ride....well...there was one...and that is a sensitive subject because it was arguably the worst ride in all of the Magic Kingdom. The three of us rode all the best rides (some multiple times...I just love Big Thunder Mountain) in the entire park before 11a. That even included a detour to First Aide so that Kendal could clean out her contacts (I'd advise future visitors to the parks to BYO contact solution...it's impossible to find in the park). This left time for a festive shopping excursion, which resulted in the purchase of what else, but Mickey Mouse ears!
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| At Epcot |
We decided that it would be best to end our day at Epcot. With our park hopper tickets and the quick transport from the monorail, we arrived at Epcot. In my 28 years of life, this was the first time I had been to Epcot...and the same went for Kendal. And what perfect timing to visit Epcot, because it was the food and wine festival! At first, the real estate was a bit intimidating, and the task of visiting every country was a bit daunting. But after one ice cold beer and a few strawberry-lime margaritas from Mexico, it was decided that we would visit each country, and we would take a picture that was indicative of the culture in each one.
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| Germany |
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| Japan |
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| GB...Where Else!? |
I'd be lying if I said that cocktails didn't contribute to this decision, as the pictures get sillier as the night goes on. It should also be said that Epcot is amazingly authentic! Yes, the walls are plaster and plastic instead of real stone, and the buildings are not built to scale, but the people working in each country are required to ACTUALLY be from that country...complete with the accents. Everyone was so sweet and supportive of our photographic tour of Epcot. All of the products sold are from the countries, and the food and beer were as realistic as possible. While we didn't try food or drinks from every country, we enjoyed the character and shops that each one had to offer. Ironically, my favorite beer was a Key West brew that was at Epcot only for the festival...it had a nice spice to it! :)
Over a delicious dinner outside in Venice, I received a phone call from my husband telling me that power had been restored to our neighboorhood in Manhattan, and the relief I felt was indescribable. It also enabled me to completely enjoy myself knowing that my boys were at home with heat and power. We had intended to stay at Epcot until the end of the night to see the fireworks show. Instead, we opted for a few more rides instead while the lines were non-existent. But it was a long day at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, and we were anxious to get home and sleep before the main event!
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| The Three Caballeros in Mexico |
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Scandinavia
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No readers, Disney World was not the "Main Event". The three of us had established a bond 10 years ago over our joint appreciation for all things Harry Potter. Through our time together at UT, we spent countless hours discussing the books over lunch, over coffee, and over late night snacks during slumber parties in our pajamas. When the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened at Universal Studios, we were all overwhelmed with anticipation.
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| Hogwarts in all it's glory! |
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| Clad in Plaid! |
I'm not ashamed or embarrassed to say that I got a little teary-eyed when we approached the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (or as I commonly refer to it as...Harry Potter Land). They didn't miss one detail. We were greeted by the steaming Hogwarts Express and the snow-capped rooftops of Hogsmead. It's safe to say that the three of us thought we had a plan when we went into Harry Potter land....we had researched all the tips and tricks for making the most of our time at the most magical place on Earth. When we got there, we were overwhelmed in the best way possible.
First and foremost was the ride at Hogwarts. THE main event...THE pie, cake and ice cream. Since we were there when the park opened, we didn't have to wait very long before we got the whole tour of Hogwarts! The greatest part of the ride wasn't the ride itself, but going through each of the rooms within Hogwarts. The detail and attention that was paid to each of the different halls was unbelievable. We waited maybe 20 minutes for the ride, but we could have spent 20 minutes in EACH of the different rooms gawking over all of the little props and paraphernalia. There was even fake snow that fell from the ceiling in one of the classrooms! The nerds inside of us were experiencing a bit of a sensory overload as we giggled like preschoolers and clenched each other's arms in joy.
A few of us may have experienced a bit of nausea following the Harry Potter ride, and there is only one way to fix that....CANDY & BUTTERBEER! We got to the Three Broomsticks early so that we could stake out our perfect table before the rush and enjoy our first taste of butterbeer in none other than a collectors mug. If you're wondering what it tastes like...it's delightful. I'm not sure if I could drink more than one serving, but it was the fizziest, sweetest, most delicious treat you could ever have.
One of the best things about the Three Broomsticks is that there is also REAL beer. The Hog's Head Tavern has their own brew of beer called the Hog Bite. Amusement parks are always a little more tolerable when you can have an ice cold brew...AND spend the day pretending to be wizards and eating turkey legs while you're served by staff members who are adorned with festive cloaks. While there was no sorting hat at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, we decided to let some chocolate frogs pick our houses. My frog had a Ravenclaw wizard, which I wasn't thrilled about, but I was joined shortly after in my disappointment when dear Randi chose Hufflepuff. I guess we can't all be Gryffindor! After a few drinks, we thought it would be a great idea to get one more look at Hogwarts and ride it once more before departing our happy place.
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| Polka Dot Day! |
We couldn't leave Orlando before making one more visit to Disney, this time to see Disney's Hollywood Studios. I after two action packed days, there was a bit of a more relaxed tone on our third day at the park. I think all of us were a bit somber about the fact that the trip we had been counting down to for months was coming to an end. Once again, we were at the park prior to the gates opening (luckily the park opens up a little bit later on Sundays, and we were given an extra hour of sleep from the miracle that is Daylight Savings). The highlights here were absolutely the Little Mermaid experience (Randi and I had the same reaction to the bubble machine as the 4 year old behind us), and the Rockin Roller Coaster that plays Aerosmith tunes as you accelerate from 0-60 in 3 seconds. I wish we had the pleasure of seeing the Disney Hollywood park at night because it was decorated to the nines for Christmas!
After knowing these girls for over 10 years, I'm so proud that we have all grown up to be such strong and successful women who are all in such a happy place in our lives. I'm also so thankful that with us living in 3 different cities, we still make time to see each other a few times a year. At one point on our trip, we fantasized about where we'd like to visit for our upcoming 30th birthdays (I still have a while....I'm holding on to my 20s for as long as I can!), and we threw out luxurious destinations like St. Barths, Saint Tropez, and Lake Como. This trip in Orlando didn't involve any high heels (unless you count Randi's decision to wear wedges during the whole first day at the Magic Kingdom), it didn't involve fancy dresses or sparkly jewelry (although we did bring a little...that's just how we roll). It was fun at it's purest form...absolutely innocent and unadulterated fun. No matter how serious your life may be, or how high up you are in the professional world, you're never to old to ride a roller coaster and take silly pictures with your best friends. I'll cherish this trip forever and can't wait for the adventures we still have to come!
That was probably a bad decision because Randi made sure we were all awake before the sun came up so that we could be at the Magic Kingdom before it opened. While the moon was still in the sky, we donned our themed attire (day 1 was sequins day...yes, we're not too fancy to wear sequins to an amusement park). It was chilly, I could see my breath in the air, and we all had scarves around our shoulders to keep warm. We were there to watch the gates open, and it was glorious. I'm not sure if there is any better way to start your day than to have Mickey and Minnie singing "Good Morning" to you! 
AND, Randi is genius, because we didn't wait in line for one ride....well...there was one...and that is a sensitive subject because it was arguably the worst ride in all of the Magic Kingdom. The three of us rode all the best rides (some multiple times...I just love Big Thunder Mountain) in the entire park before 11a. That even included a detour to First Aide so that Kendal could clean out her contacts (I'd advise future visitors to the parks to BYO contact solution...it's impossible to find in the park). This left time for a festive shopping excursion, which resulted in the purchase of what else, but Mickey Mouse ears! 
I'm not ashamed or embarrassed to say that I got a little teary-eyed when we approached the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (or as I commonly refer to it as...Harry Potter Land). They didn't miss one detail. We were greeted by the steaming Hogwarts Express and the snow-capped rooftops of Hogsmead. It's safe to say that the three of us thought we had a plan when we went into Harry Potter land....we had researched all the tips and tricks for making the most of our time at the most magical place on Earth. When we got there, we were overwhelmed in the best way possible. 
First and foremost was the ride at Hogwarts. THE main event...THE pie, cake and ice cream. Since we were there when the park opened, we didn't have to wait very long before we got the whole tour of Hogwarts! The greatest part of the ride wasn't the ride itself, but going through each of the rooms within Hogwarts. The detail and attention that was paid to each of the different halls was unbelievable. We waited maybe 20 minutes for the ride, but we could have spent 20 minutes in EACH of the different rooms gawking over all of the little props and paraphernalia. There was even fake snow that fell from the ceiling in one of the classrooms! The nerds inside of us were experiencing a bit of a sensory overload as we giggled like preschoolers and clenched each other's arms in joy.
A few of us may have experienced a bit of nausea following the Harry Potter ride, and there is only one way to fix that....CANDY & BUTTERBEER! We got to the Three Broomsticks early so that we could stake out our perfect table before the rush and enjoy our first taste of butterbeer in none other than a collectors mug. If you're wondering what it tastes like...it's delightful. I'm not sure if I could drink more than one serving, but it was the fizziest, sweetest, most delicious treat you could ever have. 
One of the best things about the Three Broomsticks is that there is also REAL beer. The Hog's Head Tavern has their own brew of beer called the Hog Bite. Amusement parks are always a little more tolerable when you can have an ice cold brew...AND spend the day pretending to be wizards and eating turkey legs while you're served by staff members who are adorned with festive cloaks. While there was no sorting hat at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, we decided to let some chocolate frogs pick our houses. My frog had a Ravenclaw wizard, which I wasn't thrilled about, but I was joined shortly after in my disappointment when dear Randi chose Hufflepuff. I guess we can't all be Gryffindor! After a few drinks, we thought it would be a great idea to get one more look at Hogwarts and ride it once more before departing our happy place.
After knowing these girls for over 10 years, I'm so proud that we have all grown up to be such strong and successful women who are all in such a happy place in our lives. I'm also so thankful that with us living in 3 different cities, we still make time to see each other a few times a year. At one point on our trip, we fantasized about where we'd like to visit for our upcoming 30th birthdays (I still have a while....I'm holding on to my 20s for as long as I can!), and we threw out luxurious destinations like St. Barths, Saint Tropez, and Lake Como. This trip in Orlando didn't involve any high heels (unless you count Randi's decision to wear wedges during the whole first day at the Magic Kingdom), it didn't involve fancy dresses or sparkly jewelry (although we did bring a little...that's just how we roll). It was fun at it's purest form...absolutely innocent and unadulterated fun. No matter how serious your life may be, or how high up you are in the professional world, you're never to old to ride a roller coaster and take silly pictures with your best friends. I'll cherish this trip forever and can't wait for the adventures we still have to come!
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