We had a wonderful trip to Disney World. The last time I was there was when I was 12, and Tim had not been there since he was 15, so a lot has changed at WDW, to say the least. WARNING: This blog may be very boring to anyone but grandparents and Disney fanatics.
Thursday- we spent the afternoon at Disney MGM. We saw Playhouse Disney Live on Stage, where Riley got to be one of the two volunteers. She was so happy. The kids got their pictures made with Buzz Lightyear, Woody, June (from Little Einsteins), JoJo and Goliath (from JoJo's Circus); saw Voyage of the Little Mermaid and Fantasmic.
Friday- we spent all morning and part of the afternoon in the Magic Kingdom. We rode several classic favorites like Dumbo, It's a Small World, and the Teacups; We ate breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table which is inside the castle. Riley got her picture made with Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, Jasmine, and the Fairy Godmother (and autogrpahs, too); Riley was introduced to roller coasters by riding Goofy's Barnstormer, and loved it! That evening after naps, we headed over to Epcot. Tim and I took turns riding Test Track - very cool!; the kids got pictures and autographs from Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Chip and Dale; we watched Illuminations (Epcot's fireworks show).
Thursday- we spent the afternoon at Disney MGM. We saw Playhouse Disney Live on Stage, where Riley got to be one of the two volunteers. She was so happy. The kids got their pictures made with Buzz Lightyear, Woody, June (from Little Einsteins), JoJo and Goliath (from JoJo's Circus); saw Voyage of the Little Mermaid and Fantasmic.
Friday- we spent all morning and part of the afternoon in the Magic Kingdom. We rode several classic favorites like Dumbo, It's a Small World, and the Teacups; We ate breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table which is inside the castle. Riley got her picture made with Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, Jasmine, and the Fairy Godmother (and autogrpahs, too); Riley was introduced to roller coasters by riding Goofy's Barnstormer, and loved it! That evening after naps, we headed over to Epcot. Tim and I took turns riding Test Track - very cool!; the kids got pictures and autographs from Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Chip and Dale; we watched Illuminations (Epcot's fireworks show).
Saturday- we spent the morning at Animal Kingdom. We rode Kilimanjaro Safari - one of our favorites! We saw several shows - Festival of the Lion King, Pocahontas, It's Tough to be a Bug (not a favorite!); That evening we ate at Chef Mickey's - more pics with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Chip, Dale and Donald Duck. After dinner, we went back to Magic Kingdom. While I staked out a place to watch the parade and fireworks, Tim and the kids rode Snow White's Scary Adventures; we watched the parade and Hallowishes (MK's seasonal fireworks show), from Main Street.
Sunday - we spent all morning at the Magic Kingdom. We rode Pirates of the Carribean, the Jungle Cruise, Magic Carpets of Alladin; saw Mickey's Philharmagic, "Dream Along with Mickey" and Story time with Belle; Riley and I stood in a ridiculously long line to meet Ariel...got pic and autograph; Met Aurora and Prince Phillip (Sleeping Beauty's real name) and Alice in Wonderland. After lunch and naps, Riley and I headed over to MGM to see Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage; Pic and autograph with Mulan and Mary Poppins while at MGM; met Tim and Walker, and saw Lights, Motors, Action Stunt Show; after dinner, we headed back to Magic Kingdom to ride some favorites - Buzz Lightyear Star Command, Dumbo, Goofy's Barnstormer, Indy Motor Speedway, Cinderella's Carousel, and Astro Orbiter;
Monday - Back to Animal Kingdom to ride Kilimanjaro Safari...again. We loved this ride...elephants, giraffes,
crocodiles, ostriches, lions, flamingos, monkeys, rhino, hippos and a bunch of other animals that I can't pronounce the names of, cohabitating in a "roaming reserve"...better than any zoo! Back to Magic Kingdom; we rode Goofy's Barnstormer (again), and Riley tackled Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and (drumroll please) Space Mountain. Our unadventurous, won't take any risks, afraid to try anything new, little girl, rode 3 different roller coasters, 1 of those being the biggest thrill in the MK!!! I, being a roller coaster-lover myself, am very proud of her! More of Dumbo, Aladdin's Magic Carpets; went inside the Swiss Family Treehouse; pic with Pinocchio;
Whew! And we didn't do everything, let me asure you. There were several rides in each park that we didn't get to see/do/ride because the kids weren't tall enough or we didn't have time. We were very sad that the Living Seas with Nemo and Friends in Epcot was shut down (Walker loves Nemo); Soarin' in Epcot had a 90 minute wait; I would love to have ridden Expedition Everest; I guess we can save those for the next trip.
Walker said his favorite ride was Dumbo and Buzz Lightyear Star Command. Riley said her favorite ride was Goofy's Barnstormer. My favorite part of the trip was watching the kids get so excited, and seeing the characters. I realize that I was probably reliving my childhood, a little. Back in the day, it wasn't as easy to meet the characters. You had to catch them walking around and then it was sheer mayhem once they were spotted. Now...organized lines, with a Disney photographer to take your picture. Later you can view your pictures online and purchase them for a small fortune. They have thought of everything!
Walker said his favorite ride was Dumbo and Buzz Lightyear Star Command. Riley said her favorite ride was Goofy's Barnstormer. My favorite part of the trip was watching the kids get so excited, and seeing the characters. I realize that I was probably reliving my childhood, a little. Back in the day, it wasn't as easy to meet the characters. You had to catch them walking around and then it was sheer mayhem once they were spotted. Now...organized lines, with a Disney photographer to take your picture. Later you can view your pictures online and purchase them for a small fortune. They have thought of everything!
