Saturday, February 4, 2012

Magical Moment: You've Got a Friend in Me


A Great Magical Moment...makes you want to start singing "You've Got a Friend in Me" :) 

While I like nothing more than visiting WDW with my husband, there's just something magical about a trip with your best girlfriend. I was lucky enough to take a trip to the World with one of my oldest friends in November of 2009. It’s funny – the only reason we ended up at WDW is because we were too young to rent a car if we went somewhere else (we were thinking Napa). Okay, it wasn’t the ONLY reason but Disney was the easiest option.

My best friend has always been the one to balance out my more serious side. We’d spend hours watching Boy Meets World on breaks from college or special features on Disney DVDs.  She may not be a Disney super fanatic like I am but she’s right up there. Our trip’s itinerary was pretty routine – dinner reservations, park hopping, the works. But it was fun to be the tour guide (even if she had been there before with her own family) and we wore ourselves out getting as much done in the parks as we could. (In fact, we were always patting ourselves on the back for being so productive.) I had my first meal at Yak & Yeti with her, and it immediately became one of my favorites (and a must-stop). We enjoyed the last weekend of the Food & Wine festival, and the unveiling of many the holiday decorations I had never seen in person.

So the trip was nothing out of the ordinary. It’s just that a few weeks before we left that I had moved out of our hometown into my first house with my fiancĂ©. And my best friend and I would be permanently apart, no longer only separated by fall and spring semesters. Or having the ability to meet up for dinner during so frequently on weeknights. So we had four days to catch up and gab non-stop. No interruptions. No boys. We drank wine, ate good food, and made some friends. In particular, Safari Mickey (her boyfriend) and (mine) Woody from Toy Story. We even got tattoos of them in Hollywood Studios.
 So I got to hold hands with Woody. She got to hug Mickey. My best friend and I got to eat breakfast and listen to some talented kids (who were sadly not Zac Efron) sing songs from High School Musical. And even though those seem like normal happenings on a Disney trip, it’s the small things that matter most.


Estelle is the co-founder of This Happy Place Blog & a frequent contributor to The Disney Blog. She collects too many vinylmations, thinks the Muppets make the world a better place, and is always daydreaming about her next trip to WDW. (She also tweets a lot @thatsostelle!)

Friday, February 3, 2012

Flashback Friday ... First Character Breakfast!






Focused on the Magic
Going back now to May 2004, this was a year after I had left my internship with Disney World. My friends and I wanted to go back down to Disney for ten days and have some fun. One of my friends had called for us all to have breakfast at the Polynesian with the Characters one morning. We were 7 people. I had never been to a character breakfast and after this one, I am surprised that I will go to them. Here is my story...

It was a warm morning when we left for the character breakfast at the Polynesian. I was nervous for I didn't know what this was going to be like...I had only heard of them. My friends and I were given a table in the middle and I was so impressed with the food. IT just kept coming...mini mickey waffles, eggs, bacon, fresh fruit and more. Everything was sooo yummy. I loved all the breakfast items. 


Soon each character came to our table. First we meet Minnie, she was wonderful. She took a picture with us and signed my book. Then Chip and Dale came over and took pictures with us as well. But then Goofy came over. He was petting my head, took a picture with us and stayed for awhile. He stayed the longest with us, playing around and being silly. He just didn't want to leave us it seemed, and then I think he knew he had to move on. But then Music came on and this is when the fun really started happening....


I was taken by Goofy, by surprise, and dragged onto the floor. The music was playing and a lady's voice was heard saying, "ALL CHILDREN COME AND DANCE!" Wait, I wasn't a kid, so I tried to pull away from Goofy but he wouldn't let me go. He had my hand in a tight grip! I tried to just smile, as me and 40 children danced around ...well..I think I saw a mom in the mix as well which was nice. Goofy just kept me dancing and I was so red in the face. I didn't know what to do! Then when the music stopped, I thought he would let me go, but NO...he had me going around to tables with him. He had me touch a bald guy's head...what was Goofy thinking! Finally, I saw a moment where I pulled away and got back to my seat. My friends were laughing, some were crying. I was still in shock. Still Goofy came by our table again. At least no music came back on!


Let's just say that this is a character dining experience I will never forget thanks to Goofy and his goofiness!
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