We have returned from our trip to Disney World! What a magical, memorable, exciting, and exhausting week it was! We last went to Disney World in 2016 when I was newly pregnant with Emmy. Our group of 8 then has since grown to 10. It was such a special time to take this trip while Zander, Maddox, Emmy, and Eli are at ages where they can soak up all the Disney magic. We tried to capture the trip through many, many pictures and videos. Here is a day-by-day recap.
Day 1 (Saturday, November 6th): Traveling to Florida
Our trip began early last Saturday around 5AM. My dad rented a 15-passenger van, which allowed us all to ride together plus had room for our luggage, the pack-n-play, the stroller, and snacks. Eli dozed a little bit and was in good spirits when he was awake. We used Megan's DVD players to keep the kiddos entertained for the long drive south, and they (and the adults!) did great during the road trip. I sat in between Emmy and Eli, and aside from when Emmy was using her straw to comb my hair, the hours went by fairly quickly. We stopped along the way to visit my grandparents in Hawthorne, FL. We had a late lunch with them and stretched our legs for a bit before finishing the final few hours of the trip. We arrived in Orlando around 7PM, donned our magic bands, and settled into our rooms by 8PM. Emmy loved the Murphy bed that pulled down from the wall, and Eli loved all the Mickey decorations. We went to bed excited for our first day in the parks the next morning.
Day 2 (Sunday, November 7th): Magic Kingdom
For our first day at Disney, we of course headed to Magic Kingdom so the kids could see the castle and ride all the classic rides. By staying at one of the resorts, we were able to enter the parks 30 minutes early. However, we were a little rusty that first day with figuring out the bus transportation and the mobile app, so we ended up getting there at the regular opening time of 9AM. Each day, we got better and better and took advantage of the early access. Once inside Magic Kingdom, we headed first for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, which Emmy claimed "was a disaster!" because of its speed and fast drops. It was a true roller coaster, but we didn't really tell her that ahead of time. We then went to some slower rides like Under the Sea and Winnie the Pooh. She liked these two much better and forever compared rides to these first ones: "Is this like Snow White or Ariel?" One of the highlights of the whole trip was our lunch that day at Cinderella's Royal Table. It was a special reservation that had to be made several months ago, and Emmy and Eli both were in awe of Cinderella as she made her appearance throughout the meal. The adults were mostly in awe of the food: delicious beef tenderloin, scallops, and seasonal pumpkin cheesecake for dessert. After lunch, my Aunt Glenda joined us for the afternoon. She brought Mickey gifts for the kids, and she was very helpful in navigating the park. We rode the carousel, and then Eli napped while we rode Big Thunder Mountain and watched the Country Bear Jamboree. Unfortunately we hit a bit of bad luck with two rides back-to-back that shut down just as we were about to board. Our spirits were renewed with one of the Mickey and Minnie pop-up parades, and we pushed through with three more rides: It's a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Haunted Mansion, which Emmy declared her favorite. We had dinner at the Columbia Harbor House and then found a spot for the 8PM fireworks. It was very crowded, but we were able to squeeze in to see the graphics on the castle and along Main Street. The fireworks were set to music and scenes from all the Disney classics. It was a truly magical ending to the day.
Day 3 (Monday, November 8th): Epcot
Our second day started with riding the Skyliner from our resort to Epcot. The Skyliner connects a few of the parks, and it was a fun way to move from one place to the other. Between buses, the Skyliner, and the Monorail, we were able to get everywhere we wanted to go without using the van. At Epcot, we headed first for Norway to ride the Frozen Ever After ride. We then moved toward the "ooh big ball" as Eli called it, for Test Track and Spaceship Earth. After eating lunch in one of the cafeterias there, we rode Nemo, Land of the Living, Soarin' (a personal favorite), and Figment. We got a sweet mid-afternoon treat from Karmell Kuche in Germany, and we ended the day with the newest Ratatouille ride in France. We couldn't quite hang in there for the 9:45PM fireworks and light show; instead we headed back to the resort around 8:30PM. My favorite thing about Epcot was the surprise princess and character sightings. We would just happen to stumble upon them, and although they would keep their distance behind fencing or on a stage, they would interact and pose for photos. Emmy wore her Elsa dress the entire day, and she loved seeing all the other princesses.
Our second day started with riding the Skyliner from our resort to Epcot. The Skyliner connects a few of the parks, and it was a fun way to move from one place to the other. Between buses, the Skyliner, and the Monorail, we were able to get everywhere we wanted to go without using the van. At Epcot, we headed first for Norway to ride the Frozen Ever After ride. We then moved toward the "ooh big ball" as Eli called it, for Test Track and Spaceship Earth. After eating lunch in one of the cafeterias there, we rode Nemo, Land of the Living, Soarin' (a personal favorite), and Figment. We got a sweet mid-afternoon treat from Karmell Kuche in Germany, and we ended the day with the newest Ratatouille ride in France. We couldn't quite hang in there for the 9:45PM fireworks and light show; instead we headed back to the resort around 8:30PM. My favorite thing about Epcot was the surprise princess and character sightings. We would just happen to stumble upon them, and although they would keep their distance behind fencing or on a stage, they would interact and pose for photos. Emmy wore her Elsa dress the entire day, and she loved seeing all the other princesses.
Day 4 (Tuesday, November 9th): Hollywood Studios
The original plan was for Tuesday to be our "rest day." However, we made a last minute swap and pushed our rest day to Wednesday when we would have breakfast at Chef Mickey's. So instead of resting, we took on Hollywood Studios. Once again with the early access, we arrived to the park before it opened, and we headed straight for Tower of Terror. Much like Mine Train on the first day, Emmy was not a fan, but I was so proud of her for riding it even though she "did not love it." She and Maddox were not able to ride Rock-n-Roller Coaster because of the height limit, so they took a breather, while the adults and Zander rode. We then headed to Toy Story Land for more rides and for lunch at Woody's Lunch Box, with the holiday specialty pop-tarts. After lunch, we went to the Star Wars area to ride Millennium Falcon. Boomer got one of the "blue milk" drinks (I guess a Star Wars thing?) We then headed back to where we started the day for the Beauty and the Beast live show. After staying awake all day, Eli took a nap on Aunt Megan, who still managed to snap the funny picture of Emmy, Boomer, and me watching the show. I am not sure if we are tired or in awe, but like mother, like daughter, we both have our mouths open haha! Unfortunately the last part of Hollywood Studios did not end so well. After waking from his late nap, Eli was all out of sorts and got sick while Boomer was holding him at dinner. It was quite a mess, on Eli and on Boomer. Zack literally gave Boomer the shirt off his back (Zack also had on an undershirt ), but then Eli got sick a second time! We hustled to pack up our dinner and head back to the room so everyone could get some rest. We are still not sure if it was a bug or just tiredness, although whatever it was seemed to spread to Boomer and then Zander by the end of the trip :(
Day 5 (Wednesday, November 10th): Emmy's Birthday
Wednesday was a much needed rest day, and it was also Emmy's birthday! When Grandpa started planning the trip over 18 months ago, it was a nice coincidence that it fall during the week of Veteran's Day (a day off from work) and during Emmy's birthday. What better way to celebrate turning 5! Boomer surprised Emmy and me both with a special video for her birthday. Much like the video he made for our 10 year anniversary, he included photos spanning the whole five years and set it the country song "Lady" by Brett Young. Of course I cried! It was so sweet to see all the pictures of our precious Emmy. Our plans for the day included a special breakfast at Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Hotel. All the characters stopped by for pictures, and the food was delicious. The birthday girl even got some special cupcakes...cupcakes for breakfast, why not?! After breakfast, we cruised around on the Monorail, stopping at the Grand Floridian to see the gingerbread house and other Christmas decorations. Everyone took naps that afternoon, and then in the early evening, we went to Disney Springs for shopping and dessert. The kiddos received some money from Great Grandma Nancy to spend, and after much deliberation, Emmy chose a Minnie figurine and a charm bracelet. The weather was a bit rainy, so we didn't stay too long before heading back to Pop Century.
Wednesday was a much needed rest day, and it was also Emmy's birthday! When Grandpa started planning the trip over 18 months ago, it was a nice coincidence that it fall during the week of Veteran's Day (a day off from work) and during Emmy's birthday. What better way to celebrate turning 5! Boomer surprised Emmy and me both with a special video for her birthday. Much like the video he made for our 10 year anniversary, he included photos spanning the whole five years and set it the country song "Lady" by Brett Young. Of course I cried! It was so sweet to see all the pictures of our precious Emmy. Our plans for the day included a special breakfast at Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Hotel. All the characters stopped by for pictures, and the food was delicious. The birthday girl even got some special cupcakes...cupcakes for breakfast, why not?! After breakfast, we cruised around on the Monorail, stopping at the Grand Floridian to see the gingerbread house and other Christmas decorations. Everyone took naps that afternoon, and then in the early evening, we went to Disney Springs for shopping and dessert. The kiddos received some money from Great Grandma Nancy to spend, and after much deliberation, Emmy chose a Minnie figurine and a charm bracelet. The weather was a bit rainy, so we didn't stay too long before heading back to Pop Century.
Day 6 (Thursday, November 11th): Animal Kingdom
After our rest day, we powered through our last two days, going next to Animal Kingdom. With as much as the kids like the Science Center, I knew they would especially like Animal Kingdom. However, our first ride was a bust for Emmy. Although she was tall enough to ride Avatar Flights of Passage, she backed out at the last minute once she sat down in the seat. (Luckily, they let Boomer stay with her and then ride in the following group.) Everyone rode the next ride, Na'vi River Journey, and then a crowd favorite, the Animal Safari. We had our last dining reservation of the week for lunch at Tusker House in Africa with a flavorful family-style menu. Once again, the four cousins loved the characters, and the adults loved the food. We caught the 2PM show of the Lion King, and as we left the theater, the Florida rains returned. It didn't rain long, but it was enough of a downpour to soak everyone's clothes and shoes. The rest of the weather during the week was so wonderful, mid-70s, so it is hard to complain. We fit in a few more rides before taking our soggy selves back to the resort for bedtime.
Day 7 (Friday, November 12th): Magic Kingdom
Our last day - a second trip to Magic Kingdom! There is just so much to do at this park that it is really impossible to do it in one day. Luckily the kids woke up fresh and ready to take on our last day. We wore our matching shirts again and posed for photos in front of the entrance and the castle. In our haste on the first day, we forgot to stop! We then headed to Tomorrowland for Space Mountain, the Speedway, the Carousel of Progress (I always like this one!), and the Peoplemover. For our last day, we splurged on the additional fee for the Lightning Lane, a version of the Fast Passes that Disney used to have before COVID. We booked slots for Peter Pan's Flight, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Jungle Cruise, rides that had long waits otherwise. For lunch, we had chicken and waffles from Sleepy Hollow, and then we watched the Hall of Presidents nearby. Boomer and Eli headed back to the hotel for naps, while the rest of our crew rode again all the rides from our first day. We stayed through the fireworks and soaked up the last of the Disney magic.
Day 8 (Saturday, November 13th): Returning Home
The ride home yesterday wasn't as fun as the ride the previous Saturday. Without the anticipation of Disney, it seemed to take quite awhile before we returned to North Carolina. Once again the kiddos were great travelers, especially Zander who wasn't feeling well. We pulled into our driveway around 6:30PM, and Boomer and I got right to work on unpacking and laundry, while Emmy colored and Eli went through the toy box, rediscovering his toys. There wasn't much time before bed, but Emmy made a wonderful drawing of Mickey and Minnie in front of the castle. I feel sure she is going to be talking about this trip for a long time. We especially want to thank Grammy and Grandpa for taking us and always being intentional about spending time together. We are so blessed to make these family memories. And while I now know the meaning of "Disney Tired," I am so thankful for this week we shared.
The ride home yesterday wasn't as fun as the ride the previous Saturday. Without the anticipation of Disney, it seemed to take quite awhile before we returned to North Carolina. Once again the kiddos were great travelers, especially Zander who wasn't feeling well. We pulled into our driveway around 6:30PM, and Boomer and I got right to work on unpacking and laundry, while Emmy colored and Eli went through the toy box, rediscovering his toys. There wasn't much time before bed, but Emmy made a wonderful drawing of Mickey and Minnie in front of the castle. I feel sure she is going to be talking about this trip for a long time. We especially want to thank Grammy and Grandpa for taking us and always being intentional about spending time together. We are so blessed to make these family memories. And while I now know the meaning of "Disney Tired," I am so thankful for this week we shared.
No comments:
Post a Comment