Another amazing Disney vacation is in the books, and we are already planning our next trip! We left on Easter morning after the kids discovered their baskets. The Easter bunny was very smart this year to bring new shoes, raincoats, and personalized Disney snack boxes for our trip. :)
Daddy made excellent time driving to Orlando. The kids were entertained with Disney movies in the car to prepare for the parks. We arrived with enough time to visit the pool before hitting the sack for an early morning at Animal Kingdom.
Animal Kingdom was the only park we had not visited previously, so I was a little anxious planning the schedule. We began the morning with a Fast Pass on the Mount Everest roller coaster. Daddy rode with the big kids first while I walked around with Jacob. When my turn came, neither Tuttle nor Maggie wanted to ride it again, but Maggie gave into my guilt trip and experienced it again. Afterward I completely understood why Tuttle and Maggie only wanted to ride it once. It was scary!
We spent time in the dinosaur area of Animal Kingdom with a few rides and a playground complete with an excavator area. This proved to be the highlight of the day for all three babies, and it was the perfect place for Daddy and I to relax. We actually visited it twice!
Our character lunch at The Tusker House was a favorite. The food was delicious (especially the strawberry cake dessert- I might have eaten three!) and the characters were all fun to interact with. Jacob was huge fan this year of anything dressed in costume.
We caught The Lion King show after lunch. I initially was disappointed to be placed on the very back row, but it allowed all three kids to stand up for a better view! I loved watching their faces during the performance. It was pure Disney magic. Tuttle had a permanent smile when the "monkeys" flipped and flew through the air on the trapeze!
At this point in the day we had two hours until our next Fast Pass, so Daddy and I made the crazy decision to split up while he took the big kids to stand in a two hour line for Avatar, and I strolled Jacob around in the stroller for a nap. The line actually lasted for THREE hours, but the ride was so incredible that we all forgot about the wait time! Maggie rode with me when they finished the first time. I have never experienced something more amazing. We are hoping all future rides mimic the technology used in the Avatar ride.
We missed our Fast Pass for the safari and decided not to try to get in. We were all wiped from our first day and ready to head back to the hotel.
Grandmommy and Grandaddy had driven down on Sunday, as well, and we were thrilled to spend our day at Epcot with them. The flower festival was underway at the park, so everything was gorgeous! Epcot always proves to be a favorite for our entire family. Tuttle even suggested two days at Epcot next year!
We never focus on the rides at Epcot, but we always made a point to at least ride Spaceship Earth and Soarin. The rest of our time is spent exploring all the countries.
Germany is Tuttle's favorite country for obvious reasons. :)
We ate lunch in England. Jacob was a crazy person at the table, so he and I walked around as soon as possible. He was such a trooper skipping real naps everyday, so we cut him some slack sitting at restaurants.
After lunch, Grandmommy and Grandaddy headed back to the hotel while we continued our trip around the Epcot world. Tuttle and Daddy ended up finding the most amazing passport activity where Tuttle entered each country to get his passport stamped while Daddy was able to relax with a few drinks. Maggie and I took a sleeping Jacob to stand in line to meet Belle. Maggie was wearing the perfect dress!
We had a "ball" in our second day in the parks!
Daddy gained bonus points for taking the kids to the pool that evening while I crashed in the hotel room!
Our final day at Disney started bright and early with breakfast at Chef Mickey before our Magic Kingdom adventure.
I think everyone had the same idea to visit the Magic Kingdom because it was CROWDED. I was so happy to get Fast Passes to three of our favorite rides: Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear, and Pirates of the Caribbean (Daddy's favorite).
We were able to fit in the teacups because they are a must. I will say that Daddy and I are officially getting old, though. We could barely make it through the ride without getting sick!
After a few hours, Daddy and Tuttle parted ways to ride the race cars (an annual tradition) while Maggie, Jacob, and I stood in line for The Little Mermaid ride. Grandmommy and Grandaddy found some shade to wait for us.
We had lunch reservations at The Plaza on Main Street, and everyone needed to recharge. Luckily the parade went right by our restaurant, and Grandmommy took all three babies to have a look.
Our day at Magic Kingdom wrapped up earlier than our other park days. Everyone was just exhausted from all the Disney craziness, so we called it a day early afternoon and were able to get in one last pool visit before the end of our trip.
(One of the funniest parts of our trip was Jacob's obsession with the pool. The first evening he was waving to Grandmommy, Grandaddy, and me while floating in the water and we watched from our balconies. As soon as he returned to the hotel room, he was so so excited to tell me, "Pool ah hey hey!" This became our trip's tag line.)
We all absolutely love Disney and all the memories we create every year. It is such a bonus that Grandmommy and Grandaddy are such a big part of our annual trip! See you soon, Mickey!
