Disney Trip 2017, January 27th-30th - Orlando FL
DISCLAIMER - This blog post is hefty in length! You have been warned!
There she is! I officially got my "Magic Kingdom Castle" picture! This place is exactly that, MAGICAL. I had gone with my family when I was in college a while back (not giving specifics on what "a while back" entails...) and I was hoping I would feel the same magic and youthfulness that I felt then this time around. You bet I did! Honestly, I don't know how anyone can go to Disney World and not IMMEDIATELY turn into a kid in a candy store!
We stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort (at Epcot) and unfortunately I don't have any pictures to really do it justice. It is a beautiful resort and I wish we would have had more time to enjoy the private beach fronts and entertainment there. We were supposed to land in Orlando at 9:30 Friday morning but due to flight cancellations, we weren't able to make it thru airport security in Dallas in enough time to make our 6:05 AM flight... Anyone that knows me knows that I don't do mornings well... And by "mornings" I mean 6:45-8 am. We had to be up and moving by 4:15 that morning and for us to miss our flight, I was not very pleased. Anyway, we got there by 6 pm and we still made our dinner reservation at the Shutters at Old Port Royale restaurant. I did manage to snap a phone shot of the beverage I had... Y'all, if you've never had a Moscow Mule, you're missing out! It was DELICIOUS!
Day #1: Magic Kingdom. We arrived at Magic Kingdom around 9:30 (originally planned for a 7:55 am arrival but after our long flight we decided to get some rest since we knew we needed to go all day the next day) and went over to the "Storybook" area of the park for our first ride, Dumbo! Gunner loved it and immediately wanted to ride it again. Poor boy didn't know about the lines and wait times that can build up at this place! Now, we did do the Fastpass option but dumb me spaced them out ahead of time and I didn't know that you had to use all 3 before you could book another! So, we changed some times around were still able to enjoy pretty much every ride/show we wanted to see that day. Gunner had one facial expression for all the character he met that day, see below and enjoy! (He really does love all the Disney characters, when they're on the TV of course...)
We saw so many different shows/dances throughout the day. Disney does a FANTASTIC job with their parks. There is always something to see and the ENTIRE staff is polite and very friendly. We were able to watch the castle show that included all the original Disney characters as well as Tangled and Frozen characters! We also so a very cute Muppet show at Liberty Square!
Day #2: Animal Kingdom. We originally were only going to Magic Kingdom and flying back on Sunday. But, since I can't keep a secret to save my life and told my husband where we were going, he was able to get Monday off so that meant we got to have an extra day at a park! We (I) chose Animal Kingdom since Gunner has loved going to zoos and thought this park would have a lot of attractions for the younger folks.
This park was tons of fun! When we got there it was drizzling so we bought Disney ponchos and beanie/gloves for Gunner. We also put the rain cover on his stroller and headed to our first ride, Dinosaur. By the time we walked over there our little passenger had fallen asleep! That actually worked out perfect since Gunner didn't meet the height requirement so we were able to use the Rider Switch option. If someone in your party can't/doesn't want to ride a certain attraction, you can get a Rider Switch card. For this particular ride, I went thru the Fastpass lane since we had booked it and got a Rider Switch card for Matthew. As soon as I got off the ride, Matthew was able to go thru the Fastpass line and get on. Now, we could have used the Rider Switch without wasting his Fastpass choice, but these are things you learn as you go!
This park had an Asia and Africa area. The landscaping and character was AWESOME! See for yourself!
I'm gonna have to brag on myself a bit here... There was a ride at this park that I DID NOT ride when I came the first time. It's called Expedition Everest and it is a legit rollercoaster. Kaedy doesn't do rollercoasters, much less when I have to ride it by myself! But, Matthew went first and when he came back he assured me it wasn't that bad and that I would like it. I am proud to say I did in fact ride the rollercoaster and I lived to tell about it. Seriously, it was SCARY but I did enjoy it (a tiny bit).
After the death-defying rollercoaster ride, we went to a 4D movie. "It's Tough to be a Bug" is a really cute Ants themed movie that I remember very well from the first time I saw it. Thank goodness I did because I had to leave during the first 5 minutes of the show. Gunner had just woken up from his nap and he was doing good until the acorns were shot towards the audience and air blew on everyone's faces. So, I went outside with him and we waited for Dad to enjoy the rest of the show. I don't blame him for being scared, the one thing I remember from that show is the seats "stinging" you at the end so I was perfectly fine with going outside with him.
We were able to see a lot of animals throughout the day. Between the "Flights of Wonder" bird show and the "Kilimanjaro Safari" exploration trail, there were tons of wildlife! Enjoy!
In my opinion, the best thing about this park is the Tree of Life. It is gigantic and so intricately made. There are animals carved into this thing at every twist and turn. But of course, Disney didn't stop there. At night, they play scenes on one side of the tree every 10 minutes and it is beautiful. I stood there crying like a baby as I watched all my favorite Disney classics show up on that tree. I tried to capture some of the scenes before we left, I hope you can feel the magic thru these photos.
And just like that, our trip was over. We had the BEST time and I highly recommend visiting, whether you have little ones or not! Disney World truly is the happiest place on Earth!
- KS