We went to DISNEY WORLD!!!!
Our family is super blessed to have two cousins who retired from working at Disney and are occasionally able to get us into the park for free. So when they were talking to Papa and he mentioned that he would like to go, they offered their passes and off we went!
We kept it a secret from the kids, who are thankfully still young enough to be oblivious to the clues. Mom helped by making polka dot circle skirts for the girls while I grabbed cheap white tshirts from Walmart and $2 flip flops from Old Navy to personalize. The little guy got a new Mickey shirt from Once Upon A Child, our favorite consignment shop, and the big guys got matching Mickey Ts from Walmart.
In order to make the most out of our day, we chose to get up and on the road early. Breakfast is always essential but my mom taught me growing up that you always begin a theme park day with a big breakfast to save money and time stopping for snacks in the park. So, not wanting to waste time making a big sit-down breakfast at home or get fast food, I employed an idea that had been floating around Facebook. It’s a simple method of whipping up eggs with whatever you like and baking it in muffin tins for an “on the go omelet” which we all really enjoyed! It was cheap, filling, healthy, and full of protein to get our engines running strong.
As we drove, the kids eagerly asked if we were there yet and how much longer and where we were going but we held them off until we drove through the big signs and onto the Disney property. I’m not sure that they actually realized how much fun awaited them until later when they saw Cinderella’s castle and realized that we were going to into the park instead of just looking at it from afar.
We parked at the Contemporary Resort, where we met up with the scooter rental for Papa, and then hopped onto the monorail to go over to the Magic Kingdom. We waited anxiously for Bobbi and Sissy (our “Disney” cousins) and then enjoyed a few minutes hugging and chatting with them before entering the park. We hadn’t seen Bobbi since she surprised us by being up at “the homeplace” while we were in West Virginia and we hadn’t seen Sissy in quite a while too.
We’re HERE!!!!
Our first stop was my favorite place in all of the Magic Kingdom, Peter Pan’s Flight.
My first memory of Disney was riding Peter Pan’s Flight with my daddy. I remember standing in line for the ride as a little girl and hearing people telling me that we were going to fly like Peter through scenes from the movie! That didn’t seem exciting to me at all, I had never been flying before and I was scared! My daddy reassured me though that we were going to be safe, riding in the boats, and that they were securely attached to a track in the ceiling. That was reassuring but the part that made me feel much better was that he would ride with me. The wonder I felt as we soared through the scenes of one of my favorite movies, as well as the security and love I felt with my Daddy’s arm around me, is something I will never forget. This trip I got to share my boat with Laelynn and Jonah while Michael, Papa and Haven were in another. Papa, Haven, and Laelynn loved it but Jonah was less than thrilled with the idea that he was “flying” no matter how hard I tried to reassure him that we were just pretending.
Next we headed over to Enchanted Tales with Belle. This was our first time and we all loved it! It’s basically a live story telling where the kids get to meet Princess Belle and play parts in the story. Haven was chosen for Maurice, Laelynn was chosen to be Philippe, and Jonah was chosen to be the Beast, due to his awesome roar, but declined. I have to admit, I geeked out a little when Belle came in the door. She is my favorite princess by far and I’m thrilled that Laelynn seems to have fallen in love with her ever since the Enchanted Stories experience!
After we said our goodbyes to Belle, we were off to find lunch. It is surprising that we had only checked off two things by midday but both had long lines and took a lot of time. After comparing notes on where we should eat, we chose to do simple burgers and hot dogs which were to be found in Tomorrow Land at the Starlight Cafe. As we walked across the park, we heard music coming from the castle and stopped to enjoy the character show that was happening there on the stage. This was possibly the sweetest moment for my Haven who danced with Daddy and soaked up every note of music with utter joy.
Lunch was yummy and we all enjoyed the rest, especially Laelynn who napped on our way over and while the rest of us ate. No worries though, we packed hers up and she got her hot dog and fries later on while we waited in line for a ride. By the way, the $.69 reusable Mickey straws were a highlight of the day and are we are still loving them now at home. Totally worth the less than a dollar splurge!
With our bellies full and our feet rested, we took off to cross the park back towards Fantasy Land and stumbled upon crowds waiting for the parade. It was due to come by in 10 minutes so we stopped and watched. This was Laelynn’s first glimpse of Mickey and Minnie and she was thrilled!
After the parade, the lines were much shorter in Fantasy Land so we were able to make our way through the Little Mermaid ride, It’s A Small World, and the Cinderella’s Carousel within a couple hours. The looks of wonder and shouts of “WOW! LOOK!” on Small World were precious!
After those rides, the boys took a break and had ice cream while saving us a great spot for the fireworks show and the girls went to see Tinker Bell. Tinker Bell is a favorite in our house so we were THRILLED to meet her in person!
The girls met back up with the boys with just enough time to share a scoop of ice cream before the fireworks show began. Disney Fireworks have always been the best but the new show by Pandora steps it up like never before. It’s music, lights, lasers, and, of course, the biggest and best fireworks you have ever seen! It was definitely a huge highlight of the day for all of us!
It’s hard to top a Disney fireworks show but we had one last stop to make before we left the park, a visit to Fairytale Hall to meet Cinderella and Eliana! Haven could barely contain her excitement as she and Cinderella finally got to meet each other. It was love at first curtsy!
And so, that was the end of our magical day. The kids had a blast, the littlest ones and the biggest alike. There’s something about that Disney magic that turns everyone back into the younger, and more care-free versions of ourselves. Papa had a great time and we will treasure these memories forever!
So what’s next? Well, we weren’t even on the interstate yet before Papa was asking about visiting Epcot together! We’ll see… 🙂
….to be continued…
