I feel like I have to write about our two-day trip to Disney World we just returned from, because hey, it was Disney and everyone talks about their trip to Disney, right? I feel obligated. I mean who goes to Disney and doesn't just exude excitement over the experience? Who doesn't LOVE Disney? I ask you?
Okay, that person is me. I think it's me for a collection of reasons. First, I only went to Disney World once when I was quite young. I have memories that are vague of the experience. I know it was a fun trip, but that's about all I remember. That trip didn't turn me into a Disney fanatic. We had family vacations, they just weren't to Disney and I don't think I was any less of a happy child. I knew the characters, but since we didn't have cable TV with the box and the paid Disney channel, I wasn't inculcated with the thrill and, well, "magic" of Disney.
That is not to say I dislike all things Disney; I'm just ambivalent. Couple that with the two visits to Disney World after the one when I was eight-years-old and I can honestly say I'd rather skip the parks and hang out at the pool.
My first adult trip was with my husband before we had children on the third of January one year. It was very, very cold and I was very, very chilled the entire day. It was packed plus slammed plus crammed with people finishing their holiday break and it was a miserable day. We could park hop with our tickets but going to a second, overcrowded park in one day did not improve my opinion of the Disney properties.
The next time I went to Disney I had a not-quite two-year-old and an eleven-month-old who could only take a few steps at a time. Disney is not fun with children who don't want to be in a stroller, can't be left alone so you can go to the bathroom or get them food, don't understand why they have to be held to wait in a twenty-five minute line and are unhappy because they can't play in the dirt and grass and eat rocks. That trip is when I had my Disney meltdown.
There was another day trip after that that I declined to join. My daughter and I stayed at the pool (did I mention I preferred the pool?) while my son, husband and in-laws drove up to meet my brother-in-law's family. They had a delightful day. I was happy my son had a good time.
This year, things would be different though. This year, my children were old enough and we were going to take two days and it was going to be—dare I use the word?—AWESOME. That's right, I was going to be in awe of the wonders of Disney. And yeah, yeah, I know I've got this snarky attitude going on coupled with what's clearly an expectation of utter Disney failure, but that's the amount of trepidation I had going into this "adventure."
I'm not going to bore you with a blow by blow of what we did, other than to say we went to a very busy Magic Kingdom yesterday and met up with our friends who left months ago to live on the road in a 45-foot rig. Everyone was excited to see each other and we spent the day together. Today we went to a much-less crowded Animal Kingdom until late afternoon and then drove home.
You know what? It wasn't half bad. Hell, it wasn't even a quarter bad. There were frustrating bits, but most of that was logistical stuff and we expected that. We rode rides and the children loved them. (Stick my daughter on a roller coaster and she is one happy kid.) We saw shows, including ones with 3-D glasses and seats that surprised you with hidden features and the children were entranced. If I could have taken a good picture of them in the dark, I would have.
We saw animals, went on a safari and saw a bird show. My son was excited about each and every animal and talked about them throughout. The children were patient with the lines and enjoyed seeing their friends and spending time with them. And then there were the characters.
My in-laws had made us a reservations at a "character dinner" which is a buffet, but one in which the characters from one of the Disney stories walk around the room and meets you at your table. We were there during the Winnie the Pooh time. Both children were just thrilled. They were patient and then when it was their turn, they would jump up and go to the character, hugging him or her and grinning those infectious children grins. I am not sure I'll forget the way my son happily hugged and romped with Eyore.
So overall, how was it? I survived and I didn't have a break down this time. I even had fun. I particularly had fun watching the children have fun. But at the heart of Disney, isn't that the point? To have fun through the eyes of the children?
The Big Boy Update: My son loves animals. He watches a show about animals and their special ways of surviving in the wild named, Wild Kratts, after the Kratt brothers who host the show. My son knew of and about more of the animals than I expected.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: We were all going on a people mover that I can't remember the name of in Magic Kingdom that goes through some of the rides in Tomorrow Land. When we went through Space Mountain, we went into complete darkness for a while. I said aloud, "I can't see anything." My daughter, who was sitting happily on my lap said, "I'm right here."
Fitness Update: Animal Kingdom is larger than The Magic Kingdom, but we must have ridden around more because we walked about a mile less at only seven miles today in the park.
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