Disney

Week 78 (con't.) 

Disney World, here we come!  I think that the kids were more excited about getting on an airplane than they were about the trip to Disney World (at least until we got there).  Once we arrived at our hotel, the kids were dressed up and ready to hit the parks!

We rested for just a few minutes and said hey to Gigi and Jaja and then we headed to the Magic Kingdom.  The kids had no idea what to expect and I think that they were a little overwhelmed when we arrived!

This was after their first glance at the Magic Kingdom and Cinderella's Castle!
 

We ran down Main Street and headed for the roller coasters!  Thunder Mountain was first on the agenda and by far the kids favorite ride!  We only had a couple of hours in the park before it was time for dinner, but we wanted the kids to have a little fun after traveling all day!

It was time for dinner with Chef Mickey and the gang!

John Bay really got into the napkin twirling!

The kids loved meeting Mickey most of all!

Hollywood Studios - Day 2

After reading every blog I could find about Disney, we were off to Hollywood Studios with my game plan in hand!  Everyone laughed at me, but by the end of the day, they realized that I had done a good thing!  As we entered the gates, Ed took off for Toy Story (as recommended by every blog I read) and the kids and I headed to meet Woody and Buzz!  

After some fun with the gang from Toy Story - the green army man was JB's favorite, we headed to Tower of Terror.  I guess my research didn't pay off here...I didn't know exactly how the ride was going to go and boy did I mess up here....

This is JB looking up at the ride before we got on.
Now, he was excited about it until we got to the top (13 stories up) and the lights went out!  As soon as the lights went out, he screamed "I don't want to be here" which made all 20+ people laugh and then the ride dropped!  He was a good sport about the whole thing, but he DOES NOT want to ride it again, EVER!  Then it was time to head back to Toy Story to ride!  This was one of my favorite rides of the whole trip!  I was amazed at how cute the ride was - it was fun for all ages!

We tried just about all that we could try in Hollywood Studios, the Chinese Theater was next on the agenda, which was good, but the kids were bored.  Then MV and Ed headed to the Rock n Roll Roller Coaster.  They loved it!  MV was not scared of anything the whole trip!  She was a trooper!

We met lots of characters (this is the only one I included - I was already picture crazy!) and saw all of the sights, MV danced in one of the street performances and we ate lots of yummy food!  Lunch at Pizza Palace (from Toy Story) was very fun, but the Micky Ice Cream was the best treat!  

Dinner at 50's Prime Time Cafe!  (We didn't get in too much trouble and everyone ate their veggies.)

Epcot - Day 3 - Thanksgiving Day

Again, my research paid off...as soon as we got in the park, Ed headed for Soarin for a fast pass while we headed for Mission to Mars.   MV and Ed practically walked right in, no wait (JB was too short to ride, but they had a great playground where we could wait).

We took the boat ride in The Land Pavilion which was amazing!  We loved the greenhouse and seeing all of the vegetables and plants!  Then it was off to Soarin!  What an amazing ride!  We all loved it and the effects were crazy!  

Thanksgiving lunch at the Coral Reef!

Off to the countries...the kids were too tired to spend much time in the countries, but we were able to have a little fun in Canada and England!

I was worried that the kids were not going to enjoy Epcot, but they surprised me!  They are still talking about it and how they want to go back to the "Big Golf Ball."

Day 4:  Epcot/Magic Kingdom

We started the morning with the Princess Breakfast in Epcot!  Both kids loved the idea of eating in a castle, but JB was not sold on the Princesses!  He wanted nothing to do with them...

MV was a little shy at first, but then they called out everyone for the Princess Parade and she was ready to go!

Her favorite Princess, Ariel!

Magic Kingdom

The kids were all smiles once we got to the Magic Kingdom! We ran into some friends from Birmingham and this made the trip even more exciting!

JB and Ed on the People Mover

Everybody loved the teacups!

The boys took off for a little Fantasia while the girls went shopping around the castle!

We had so much fun around the Magic Kingdom, I couldn't even begin to describe it all!  The kids made it until late that night trying to ride every ride they could from the Race Cars to Space Mountain to Dumbo and Pirates of the Caribbean, we tried to do it all!  I think you could spend a whole week in the Magic Kingdom and still not do it all!

Animal Kingdom - Day 5 

Once again, I am going to pat myself on the back...my research was a great success!  Ed ran ahead to Expedition Everest for lots of fast passes while we headed to the Safari ride.  The kids loved the Safari and watching all of the animals.  I was shocked at how close we were to all of the animals.  Our truck even had to stop for a rhino crossing! 
We loved Animal Kingdom!  Expedition Everest was a favorite!  I just wish that JB had been tall enough to ride, but he had fun anyway!

Not only did we have fun on the rides, the shows at Animal Kingdom were amazing!  I love Nemo and the kids loved It's a Bugs Life!  Two very cute shows - I just hate that we missed Lion King...we were ready to get back to Magic Kingdom (we just saved it to do next time)...

 

It was time for more fun with Mickey...riding the rides and seeing the shows!



 



We made our way to dinner at 1900 Fare!  This was our last night in the park and by far one of my most favorite character dinners.  The kids loved meeting Cinderella, the wicked step mother, the wicked step sisters, and of course, Prince Charming! 

The boys loved the Step Mother, Lady Tremaine!  JB was not quite sure what to think!

And JB loved Anastasia!  He kept looking around the restaurant for her throughout the whole meal!

 

We were sad to see the week come to an end, but we are looking forward to our next trip to Disney!  We had an amazing week and it was fun to spend the holidays with Gigi and Jaja!  We were all exhausted and ready to be back in their own beds!  It's time to get ready for Christmas!