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We've been planning a trip to Disney for a year---strategically timed so that all would be in elementary school on the same schedule, Matthew old enough to keep up and TALL enough to do everything. Having never been before myself, I was just as excited as I imagined that they would be to find out what the big deal is about Disney!
We showed up at their classrooms at 10:15am Friday and greeted a few very confused kids.
About 20 minutes down the road, we let them guess, but with the understanding that we were not going to react at all.
First Guesses in the Car - Pumpkin Patch! Carter's Mountain?
Good grief---if that's their expectation, they're gonna die and go to Heaven!
"Orlando?...but why??"
Disney finally revealed...
"THANK YOU, Mama!!! I'm gonna give you 100 kisses, mama!"
Easy flight, shuttle to the Beach Club Resort on property, then off to the Magic Kingdom with our first friends for the Halloween Party.
And there she is, folks! First glimpse of the castle!
Without Fast Passes for the evening, we were only able to ride the Tea Cups, but they loved the intro and there was PLENTY more to see and take in.
Let the sounds of joy begin...
Pirates of the Caribbean was a great first "experience" ride, winding through amazing, live scenes with characters so real we couldn't tell what was human and what was man-made.
The Mad Hatter does not stop moving, of course.
The 9:15pm Parade! We were exhausted, but in awe.
"Disney's Not-So-Scary Halloween Parade"
Mickey
Tinker Bell
Pirates of the Caribbean
Zombies
The Headless Horseman
Halloween Parade
Waiting for the 10:15pm Fireworks....
...which are just a wee bit more than fireworks!!!
First full day - Hollywood Studios
Storm Troopers are everywhere and the 3-D Star Wars "ride/experience" was nuts!
The Frozen "Sing-a-Long" was awesome----a 30-min recap of the movie that even the boys loved, especially the real snow at the end.
Star Wars time!
Unbeknownst to us, Matthew ended up being the "bad guy" that we were all after during the ride/experience.
Jedi training---such a well-done re-enactment.
Meeting sweet Minnie...
...and then Walt's dear Mickey:-)
Beauty and the Beast---does it get much better than "Be our Guest"???
(Side note: We sat with two families four-generations deep. The fellow Andrew and I befriended shared that his brother-in-law roomed with Coach K at West Point.)
The Tower of Terror is no joke! The "elevator" ride drops your stomach multiple times, in the dark! (Little did we know that stomach drops in the dark is basically the Disney theme:-)
The Indiana Jones Stunt show was awesome...didn't get a video of the Tomb scene, but the rest was just as thrilling.
Yep...sat like this the whole time.
"Where'd he go??"
Stunt 1
Stunt 2
"Fantasmic"! What a Fantastic Show!
Five minutes before the show, an understandably tired, "I wanna go home" quickly reversed itself to, "I wanna watch it AGAIN! I didn't like it, I LOVED it! It was awesome! Can we come back tomorrow night??"
Andrew LOVED the concept of "the wave"...
Every single venue at Disney is huge, and nice, and full.
Here we go. "Fantasmic" was truly a spectacular scene on water to take in.
Instant fire on the water
Fantasmic
More Fantastmic
Couldn't get enough Fantasmic!
Margaret's expressions say it all...
Grand Finale with everyone aboard!
Reaction to Fantasmic while waiting for our boat home...
View of the Boardwalk from the ferry to Hollywood Studios.
Beach Club's night scene
Day 2 - Animal Kingdom
..with our own animals
Monkeys!
We bolted for Mt. Everest. Of course you can't get videos on roller coasters, so the outsider's sneak peak must suffice. And, once again, so much of it was in the dark. The kids were absolutely over the moon. With a short line 5 minutes after park opening, Matthew and I were able to do it twice (until his stomach was upside down) and the others snuck in a third ride.
Matthew's first ride was with Michael. The first fast bit in the dark, he was leaning into Michael hard, eyes tightly closed. Later, a sweet whine, "Is it over yet??" and finally, pathetically, "I wanna be done." But all of that was erased by, "That was awesome! I wanna do it again!"
Reaction to Everest
Sweet eyes closed so very tightly!
Our one character meal was at the acclaimed Tucker House, known for it's HUGE South African brunch. The food was outstanding, the characters hysterical, and our bellies full, for what turned out to be the rest of the day and night.
Playing games with Goofy...
...and Mickey...
In Africa looking at Asia and Mt. Everest.
The flamingo dance was hysterical...oh, to be in their heads!
Dinosaur Land!
This ride/experience was ridiculously realistic, too!
Love M and M's reactions on/in the Dinosaur experience!
The Tree of Life---stunning from every angle, with countless animals meticulously carved into every square inch.
The Lion King
"Can You Feel the Love Tonight"
"The Lion King Finale"
The Safari Ride
Apparently giraffes only sleep for 30 minutes! They eat almost constantly, so their tongues are purple to prevent sun burn. Who knew?!?
The "Upside Down Tree" looking like the roots are growing into the air.
Their gorilla...
and our gorilla...
Pandora - home of the unforgettable 4-D Avatar Flight of Passage experience. OH. MY. WORD. I almost bailed because of the repeated warnings about motion sickness, height and dizziness, but what a thrilling experience! And what a ridiculous 5-yr-old we have:-) He makes like so fun! He didn't bat an eyelash at any of it and only asked for more! No wonder. It was absolutely gorgeous, mind-blowing, sights, sounds, feelings (through oceans) and even smells through the rain forest!
Shipwrecked slides at the pool---look up!
Shipwrecked slide at twilight.
Day 3 - Magic Kingdom
Margaret's pose...all.weekend.long.
This girl has a need for speed---don't know where she gets it?!?
Cinderella's slipper! So shiny you can't even see it!
Mosaics inside of Cinderella's Castle---massive walls.
Liberty Square
The Liberty Bell
Abe Lincoln
Impressive 25-minute show (in an extremely impressive indoor venue) on the history of our presidents and summaries of their achievements. All of them live at the end, too!
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train---yep, more twists, turns and stomach drops in the dark!
Coaster #3 or 4 and Matthew is ALL about hands in the air now:-)
Who knows, but they put on quite a personal show for us for a while---their lines are hysterical and endless.
And then sweet, huggable Chewbacca...
Space Mountain!!!! Yep, stomach drops in the PITCH BLACK DARK the ENTIRE RIDE!!!
A little evangelism at Disney:-)
And another massive parade we didn't even know about....
Splash Mountain - first round in the afternoon. Notice Matthew's arms.
Second round of Splash Mountain that night---WET! And notice Matthew's expression and enthusiasm...
Last night. Last "fireworks"...
What a way to end...
As we exited the park the final time, I asked Andrew what he thought about it all...the whole "Disney World" thing that some people say is "the most magical place on earth". He stuttered, "I, I, I...yeah, I thought it would be all 4-yr-old girls and princesses like you see on the commercials, but it was so epic! I think it gives me an idea of what heaven might be like!"
Well there you go, Walt. Well done.
When we explained that we had waited to come until Matthew was old enough and tall enough, he emphatically declared, "I was BORN ready to be here!"
Matthew's assessment of the trip:
My Top 10 because I “get it” now! Walt Disney was truly a genius. He managed to get inside the minds of all ages, both genders and figured a way to entertain them simultaneously.
Disney World might TRULY be the happiest place on earth. The picture series of Margaret at the Fantasmic show just about sums it up:-) But the top 10 things I was NOT expecting on MY first trip to Disney:
1 – It’s so CLEAN…everywhere!
2 – We all felt safe the entire time, even with the crowds & backpacks. It felt so beautifully isolating from typical real world concerns.
3 – Everything is such a well-oiled machine. From the parks to the resorts, every detail has been so thoughtfully planned.
4 –The attention to detail around every corner, on every long ride, on every float, and for the entity of every event and show is simply mind blowing. I cannot fathom the creativity, technology and engineering behind every single element.
5 – There are staff EVERYWHERE and they are ALL friendly AND knowledgeable!
6 – There is constant entertainment – street entertainers, comedians, pop-up shows…endless.
7 – There are as many, or more, park goers without young kids. Singles and couples of ALL ages, newlyweds, adult birthday parties, family reunions---you name it!
8 – There are so many people with TINY kids---a baby and a toddler who won’t remember any of it because they were sleeping through it all.
9 – Confirmed, yet again: Never, EVER miss any opportunity to see any portion of The Lion King in any way, shape or form.
10 – The Disney App is indeed as incredible as they say. Not sure how people managed their schedule before this.
Here's to another trip someday!
