Hollywood Studios

It was a scorcher at Hollywood Studios the day we went. The first attraction we went to was The Little Mermaid. We used a Fast Pass to avoid the lines. It was very well done. We tried to get into the Buzz Lightyear attraction but all Fast Passes had been used for the day and the lines were too long. 

Below is a picture of a covered play area called Honey I Shrunk the Kids. All the sets are oversized to match the theme of the movie. Really neat. The kids had a blast while Heinrich and I were on hyper parent alert making sure we didn't lose them! They had fun and that's all that mattered.

Behind Heinrich and the kids is a set backdrop. 
Another parade....



We didn't spend more than a half day at Hollywood Studios. This is something we'll do in more depth on our next visit. Heinrich and I enjoyed our visit here last time. Some highlights were Indiana Jones and the Backlot tour (really cool to see how movies are made).

Tigger, Pooh, Donald and so many More!

When we planned our trip to Disney our intention was not to go crazy trying to meet all of the characters. Our kids actually didn't know most of them prior to our trip. They do now! I had planned three character dinners and these were wonderful. 

Our first character dinner was at the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom. Although we did have a reservation it was still a half hour wait. There we met Pooh, Tigger, Eyore, and Piglet. It was a buffet dinner and quite good. A very active dinner though with a different character greeting us every 10 minutes of so. When you book a character dinner you have to be prepared for interruptions.

At Hollywood Studios Mason was over the moon to meet Lightening McQueen and Mater. They didn't talk but they did move. Very cool.
At the Animal Kingdom we stumbled upon Brother Bear, the Chipmunks and Pochahontas in Camp Minnie and Mickey. There were very few people there. Good quality time with the characters.


Mickey's biggest thrill was at Epcot. We had booked a dinner at the Norway house. It was a princess dinner. When we arrived we saw many little girls showing up in their finest. Many had gotten new dresses and had had their hair done at the Bibbety bobbety boo boutique. A little over the top in my opinion. Mickey chose to wear her princess dress from her dress-up box (with pink crocs of course) and her wild curls topped it off. Humidity doesn't help! When we arrived at the restaurant she and Mason had their photo taken with Belle. The dinner was very good and Mickey was able to meet all five princesses. She was so excited she was shaking. It's hard not to get caught up in the moment. Some of the girls looked so real. The resemblance to the animated characters was uncanny! 

Arial
Snow White
Cinderella
Sleeping Beauty
and Belle!
Outside Mommy's favourite restaurant at the Mexican pavillion we met Mexican Donald! 

We made it!

We arrived at Walt Disney World on the Tuesday (before Easter weekend) at 3:00 pm after driving for 24 hours straight. We were exhausted but SO excited. We had dinner at the hotel and then headed for the Magic Kingdom. The photos below are from three different days. This is probably where we spent the most time. I hate to use this word, but it truly is MAGICAL. 

As soon as we entered the park (our first night there) we were greeted with a parade. It seems that there are parades at least three times a day and some other kinds of singing and dancing going on! You just can't help but be deliriously happy here! The kids and Heinrich are looking a little pale and somewhat exhausted here!

We're waiting.....who's coming??
The floats were incredible and dancers engaging. 






The first attraction we went on was Swiss Family Robinson's treehouse. We then stood in line for Pirates of the Caribbean. This line was perhaps 30 minutes long but worth the wait. They do such a magnificent job of keeping their guests entered and using space wisely. You don't feel like you've been standing in line for as long as you have. Fun ride and not at all scary.

The jungle cruise...an oldie but a goodie!
Aladdin's carpet ride. Mason didn't realize that because he was in front that he was responsible for the height controls. I made the mistake of showing him what to do. He freaked and panicked mid air. Not sure what this was all about. This is a kid that goes on big roller coasters. Maybe he doesn't like the spiny things. 
So, I'm going to bare my soul. I hate roller coasters and have only ever been on one once before. It was it high school when some horrible friends (yes Casey I'm talking about you) dragged me on the Ghoster Coaster. I've been scared for life. So as a mom I feel it's necessary to step out of my comfort zone to show the kids that it's good to try new things. This was mine. Goofy's Barnstormer. A roller coaster in Toontown. Mickey and I sat together and holey hell it was awful. The poor child...I squeezed the life out of her. Honestly, I didn't think I'd make it without having a heart attack. I did it, and I'm proud of myself but I probably won't do it again and I think I almost broke Mikhaila's hand during the ride. It was her first coaster and she didn't bat an eye, just complained about Mommy!
This train (below) travels the perimeter of the Magic Kingdom. It's a good way to make your way someplace fast without battling crowds. It's also a good place to go to rest your feet. 
Another parade - mid day.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Mason and Daddy are on this time. Mickey went on with Daddy in the dark. 
Tom Sawyer's Island. We could have spent half the day here. So much to explore. 




Favourite attractions:

• Peter Pan's Flight
• Big Thunder Mountain
• The Railway
• Splash Mountain
• The Race Track
• Buzz Lightyear's Ride
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Tom Sawyer's Island
• Best of all - The Haunted House!!

Our Hotel

Our drive down to Orlando, Florida was memorable. We thought we were leaving the snow behind but as it turned out we drove through it for 12 hours out of the 24 hour drive. Much of this was through the mountains in the dark. We didn't mind driving none stop but next time we'll do it in a bigger vehicle. A Toyota Matrix was a little tight! Thank goodness for portable DVD players!

Here's our hotel. We chose to stay at one of the moderate Disney hotels, Port Orleans French Quarter. We've both stayed on site a few times before (once for our honeymoon) and highly recommend it. The small amount saved to stay off sight isn't worth the aggravation and honestly Disney just does everything right. We really had no complaints about the hotel. We were there at the busiest time of year and I can honestly say that we did not feel it at the hotel. The nice thing about this property is that it has a sister property called Riverside within a short walk. Therefore, more restaurants, another pool and play area, etc...

Here's the back of the hotel. From here you can take a riverboat to Downtown Disney which was great. 

Our pool at French Quarter. Every moderate hotel has a slide with their pool.

A drawing area for the kids in the cafeteria.

Riverside Hotel.

We were in Disney over Easter and were wondering if they'd have anything planned. They told us to show up at the hotel's courtyard at 9 am on Easter morning.  This is what we saw - a cordoned off courtyard filled with candy and toys.
When they did the countdown, the kids all ran out (different areas for different ages) with their given bags and filled them to the brim. They had so much fun. Afterwards they were able to line up for a photo with Minnie and Mickey. 

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