Warning: LOTS OF PICTURES!
We had an amazing time down in Disney World! The trip went so much better than I expected, and I am ready for our next trip to the Mouse House! We flew down on Sunday and stayed through Thursday; we had five fun filled days in sunny Florida.
Michael, my mom, and I met my Aunt Patty in Orlando. After checking in at the hotel we headed over to Epcot! I read online that Epcot is the least popular park these days. I was surprised to read that- I loved Epcot as a kid, and I can confirm, I STILL love it! Our first ride was Journey into the Imagination with Figment. The ride has changed since I was a kid, but I still love that little purple dragon! In fact, we rode it twice in a row. (Side note, I don't think we waited more than 10 minutes, at the absolute most, for any ride the entire trip). We also rode Spaceship Earth (the giant silver globe), The Land, Soarin' (a newer ride, it was awesome), and Gran Fiesta Tour in the Mexico Pavillion. We also ate dinner inside the Mexico Pavillion at San Angel Inn. I'd always wanted to eat there when I was a kid, and I was really pleased! The food was amazing, the sangria was very potent, and we had a great view of the "river" and pyramid! Michael had a teeny meltdown during dinner, but it had been a long day and he hadn't napped. He was a trooper and calmed down after we walked around the vendors in Mexico. After dinner we stayed in Epcot for the fireworks show. It was the first time M saw fireworks, so I wasn't sure how he would handle the show. He wasn't scared at all, but he really wasn't all that interested either. Oh well. At least he wasn't hysterical crying.
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| On the tram to Epcot |
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| Cute Face |
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| Our dinner view in Mexico |
The next morning we got up early because we had breakfast reservation in the Magic Kingdom. We were allowed to enter the park early, and it was AMAZING!!!!! Our reservation time was before the park opened so we were allowed in before gates opened. We strolled down a completely empty Main Street, USA and had beautiful views of Cinderella's Castle with NO ONE ELSE blocking our view! Plus, we got some great pictures.
After walking around and through the castle we headed to the Crystal Palace for breakfast with Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Eeyore. I didn't know when I made the reservations, but my mom and aunt had always wanted to eat there but couldn't get reservations (my family took us to Disney a lot when my brother and I were kids), so it was even a little exciting for them. Michael was not cool with meeting Santa Claus, so I wasn't sure how he would react to any of the Disney Characters. I "prepped" him by watching Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Minnie, and Daisy cartoons, but we had never seen the Pooh crowd. Much like the fireworks, I had nothing to worry about. When Pooh entered the room, Michael's eyes got wide and I thought, "Oh no, here we go." Nope, he reached out and said more more more ! He was so excited! He was holding their hands, giving high fives, hugging, kissing, the whole nine yards. He got sad when they moved to a new table and was very impatient waiting for them to finish with the tables before us. It was actually really adorable. Oh, and Tigger totally put the moves on me- open mouth kiss longer than 5 seconds, and then told me to call him. Wowza.
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Enjoying his first Mickey waffle!
Mom! Who is that?! |
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Winnie the Pooh!!!
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| Hiya Piglet! |
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| For those of you wondering where Michael gets his "squishy face," its clearly from his mommy. |
After breakfast we rode Haunted Mansion, Dumbo, Tea cups, Small World, Winnie the Pooh, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Michael was cool with all the rides. He couldn't even sit still on my lap in Small World or Pirates; he stood between my legs and danced to the music! After we rode Dumbo, we went to Pete's Silly Sideshow and met Donald Duck and Goofy. There was no line, and as soon as he saw them, Michael was calling to Donald and Goofy by name! He walked right up to both of them and again, hugging, kissing, high fives, etc. We told Donald we liked him better than Mickey. He liked that a lot! As cheesy as it may sound, I really loved that he loved meeting them. Michael was so happy and excited to be near them. I loved Disney as a kid because it was so magical, but being the mom was pretty great too. Seeing it through his eyes really just made my heart so happy.
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| We ran into Tianna from the Princess and the Frog. She came over to us because she said Michael was the most handsome prince she had ever seen. She made the people waiting in line to meet her wait until she had kissed Michael! |
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| Dumbo! A disney classic! |
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| The Great Goofini! |
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| M did NOT want to let go of Donald's hand! |
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| Getting ready for the mad tea party! |
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| Holding on tight cause Mommy spins too fast! |
We headed back to the hotel around lunch time because it was really hot, and I didn't want to push M to far. He napped and we ate lunch (we had a suite with a little kitchenette, so my aunt bought lunch food and snacks). Michael napped HARD; I woke him up after three and a half hours! We headed back to the Magic Kingdom. We walked around and played Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, an interactive game you can play for free throughout the park. It was loads of fun, I loved it, and I can't wait to play it again! We visited the Enchanted Tiki Room, ya know, where the birds sing words and the flowers croon? I loved it as a kid, but I think M might have liked it even better. He again danced the whole time. He was singing and yelling at the birds and clapping. Honestly, I don't know if he was having more fun dancing or if I was having more fun watching him!
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| Michael scored his very own Donald Duck! |
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| Hey, look at those crazy singing birds ma! |
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| Enchanted Tiki Room! The big green bird under the yellow umbrella is named Michael! |
We had dinner at Tony's (the Italian restaurant where Lady and the Tramp kiss!), and it was really yummy! My dish was ok, but my mom and my aunt got some amazing pasta dishes! For the record, if they have the Marsala ravioli when you go, order it. You'll thank me. After dinner we staked out a spot for the Electric Light Parade, another favorite of mine from childhood. M did not want to wait in one spot for an hour, but such is life if you want a good spot, and we had a good spot. So, my mom and aunt guarded our seats and M and I explored Main Street. He got pretty crabby cause he was up much later than usual, but it was worth it. He was MESMERIZED by the parade once it started. The best part was when he saw Mickey for the first time on a float. Michael saw the Mouse, froze, and then pointed right at Mickey. Mickey happened to see Michael point, pointed back, blew a kiss, and did the little hands over your heart beating thing. It was pretty cool. Michael's mind was blown. We didn't stay for the fireworks, they didn't start til 10, and M was done.
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| Playing with his cool glow toys before the parade. |
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| Still pointing at Mickey as the parade went down the street. |
Tuesday we headed back to Epcot. It was rainy, so we went back to the hotel in the middle of the day again. But we rode Universe of Engery (he loved the dinosaurs), The Seas, and Maelstrom. In the afternoon we played another interactive game in the world showcase. We were secret agents with the platypus from the cartoon Phineas and Ferb. Yeah, that sounds crazy, but it was cool! We visited all the different countries looking for clues and did some pretty cool stuff. We made a skeleton dance in Mexico, blew up the moat in Japan, flooded a building in England, and saved the Eiffel Tower in France. Again, lots of fun, loved it, can't wait to play it again! Plus, I saw and learned new stuff about all the countries! We ate dinner in the Coral Reef, and then got decadent pastries in France. People who think Epcot is lame are lame themselves. Oh, and we saw Elsa and Anna from Frozen. You can ONLY see them in the Norway Pavillion in all of Disneyworld, so take that Epcot haters!
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| Super Excited to be at Epcot! |
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| Michael hated being in rain jail. He was the driest person in Epcot and maybe the angriest! Every parent asked me where I had bought the rain shield. The answer? Home. Next time plan ahead and check the weather people! |
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| Luckily Figment made angry baby into happy baby! |
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| My Uncle B used to go to Disney with us when I was a kid. Sadly he passed away a few years ago and this trip wasn't the same without him (or my brother Zach for that matter, it was my first time at Disney without him!). The shirt I have on in this picture belonged to my Uncle B. He bought it the day The Living Seas (Now The Seas with Nemo) opened at Epcot. Miss you B! |
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| Running around like he owns the place |
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| Playing with Aunt Patty |
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| Riding a giant clam shell in The Seas |
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| Learning how how cool sharks are in The Seas |
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| Fish are friends, not food! |
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| Meeting Mickey for the first time! |
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| He totally made out with Minnie after this picture was taken. |
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| My Aunt Patty and Mom rocking their banana yellow ponchos! |
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| Secret Agent Stephanie! Just saved the Eiffel Tower! |
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| Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival was going on while we were there. I had to take this picture for Rob |
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| Worn out! Thanks to my mom for taking pictures of us while we sleep! :) |
Wednesday we visited Animal Kingdom. It was everyone's first time there, so it was very exciting! We did the safari first thing and saw lots of animals. Going early is the way to go cause that's when the animals are most active. Next we had another character breakfast at the Tusker House. It was Donald Duck's Safari breakfast and we got to see Donald, Daisy, Goofy, and Mickey. Again, Michael was beside himself he was so excited to meet them. He got so upset when they left that I actually felt bad for him. He LOVED them. After breakfast we rode the safari again, and saw some of the same animals but also some different ones! I definitely recommend riding more than once if you can! The safari was the only ride M was tall enough for unfortunately. We did ride Dinosaur without him (we took turns, didn't leave him with strangers or anything). I loved that ride, it was so fun! Scary dinosaurs, rumbly ride, darkness. I rode twice. Next M and I played in the dinosaur boneyard. We climbed on "fossils," played the xylo-bone on one fossil's rib cage, and drove a safari truck. After the boneyard we signed up for another interactive game, Wilderness Explorers (from the movie Up). You had to earn badges at different areas throughout the park. As we walked through the different walking trails in Africa, Asia, Dinoland, USA, and Rafiki's planet watch we earned all our badges and became Senior Wilderness Explorers! It was fun, but my least favorite of the three games we played. We saw so many animals. Michael loved pointing out everything he saw, roaring, growling, tweeting (like a bird, not on twitter), trumpeting, etc. He also got to meet Rafiki. If you read my pregnancy blog, you know this is a big deal. Rob legit wanted to name Michael Rafiki. We told that to Rafiki when we met him, he found it pretty funny. We left the park in the late afternoon and hung out at the hotel for a bit before heading to Downtown Disney for dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe. M really loved watching all the animals moved. After we ate I walked him up to one of the animatronic gorillas. He wanted to touch it, but then wussed out and got scared. That was the only thing that frightened him the entire trip. Go figure.
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| Tree of Life! |
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| Getting ready for Donald's Safari Breakfast! |
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| This was the best shot of him and Donald. :( |
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| He and Daisy kept kissing. She was at our table for a while. They might be in love. |
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| Kissing Mickey. |
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| Refusing to let go of Mickey after kissing. |
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Don't leave me Mickey. I love you. Can I stay with you forever.
He started leaning on all the characters, I think he was hoping they would rescue him from me. |
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| Playing in Dinoland |
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| His intended namesake. Sorry Rob! |
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| Getting Rafiki's autograph. Notice the lean again. |
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| Asanta Sana, Squash Banana! |
Thursday was our final day, and we spent it at the Magic Kingdom. We took the boat across the Seven Seas Lagoon to the main gate. Michael loved riding the boat, and the views of the castle were great. First we met Mickey at town square theater. You may be saying, but Stephanie, you met him at Epcot and Animal Kingdom. Yes, we sure did. However, the Mickey at Town Square theater TALKS TO YOU. Yeah that's right. Mickey now talks. It was cool. I think M was star struck cause he was a little shy at first, but it was really neat actually interacting with Mickey! After that we rode Pirates of the Caribbean and Small World again, the Jungle Cruise, the People Mover, Carousel of Progress, and Little Mermaid. We also got some Dole Whips and visited the Tiki Room again. Our last meal was at Be Our Guest, the new Beauty and the Beast restaurant. The food was delicious! And I had the masters cupcake for dessert, it's topped with "the grey stuff" from the be our guest song. It. Was. AMAZING. I've been thinking about it since we got home! On our way out we played the Sorcerers of the Magic kingdom one last time. Then it was time to head to the airport and go home. :(
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| Seven Seas Lagoon with the monorail and Cinderella's Castle. |
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| Meeting Mickey Mouse one last time. |
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| Talking to Mickey. |
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| The Beast's Castle, where the Be Our Guest restaurant is located. |
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We ate in the West Wing where the enchanted rose and magic mirror live. Petals actually drop from the rose!
The ballroom was beautiful but loud. This room was very cool! |
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| Master's cupcake topped with The Grey Stuff! |
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| Prince Eric's Castle from The Little Mermaid! |
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| Michael and Mommy with Ariel! Mommy's favorite Disney Princess! |
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| Too much fun in the Disney sun! Napping on the people mover! |
I have to admit, I was sad to leave. I had a lot of fun, and I think Michael had fun too. I read a lot of articles and blogs about taking toddlers to Disney before we went, and so many said to have low expectations and be happy if you get on one ride a day with no meltdowns. M went on over 20 rides, and only had a couple minor meltdowns when he was tired. No major tantrums, no freak outs, no hysterics. I don't know if it was because I made sure he had naps at the hotels, or if I just lucked out, but I think the trip went amazingly well! I cannot WAIT to take him again!
Oh, and Thursday was his 18 month birthday! We don't have his 18 mo check up for over another week, so I will do a proper 18 month post after that!
FYI- I had all of Michael's shirts made by a local women here in Athens. Stephanie was great to work with and the shirts came out amazing! He had a Mickey Tie shirt, Spaceship Earth in mouse ears, Safari Donald, and Mickey Pirate ship! If you want to order shirts for Disney or just appliqué shirts in general I definitely recommend her! She was willing to do the exact designs I wanted even though she had not done them previously. Check out her Etsy page here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ClassicCityEmb
