.... and we had a blast! Three months ago when I mentioned that we'll be taking Adrian to Disney many of you thought Zac and I are crazy. Why in the world would you spend all this money and take an infant to Disney when he won't remember a darn thing, many of you asked. True, he will not remember this trip but the magical moments we spent together this past week is priceless and memorable. World Disney World is still the most magical place on earth. Standing on Main Street in Magic Kingdom watching Cinderella's Castle change colors is one of the most treasured moments in my life....it still is and this time around and who's better than my loving husband and my super son standing by my sides. Yup, I still get teary being near the castle! We tried teaching little guy to say castle but it came out as A _ _ Hole. It was a total moment from the movie Meet the Parents.
Day 1 - We arrived at Bay Lake Tower after an hour of Magical Express ride. After reading reviews about this bus transportation to and from MCO to WDW properties I was thinking this may not be a "magical" nor an "express" experience. I was so relieved to not have to wait in lines for hours and our luggage didn't get lost and made it to our room in one piece. We had dinner reservation that evening at the Crystal Palace, character dining with Pooh and the gang. After a long wait in the rain (it was a bummer that it rained the first day!) we were escorted to the mayhem that was suppose to be one of Disney's fun character dining. I think other than the characters the experience was less than desired. Zac and I both agreed the food was lackluster. I have to say the reaction from Adrian when he met Pooh and the characters made the evening much better. He loves all characters, that is an understatment. He follows them around and asks for hugs.
Day 2 - This is the first day of two days at Magic Kingdom. The rain stopped but we melted in the 90 some degree heat. We all know how humid Orlando can be. Despite the heat, we were determined to see the park. I had goals of seeing all the attractions suggested from the Unofficial Guide to Disney. I was not about to deter from the touring plan. The morning was smooth sailing. We had no lines in any of the attractions. We got on Winnie the Pooh, Mickey's PhilarMagic, and it's a Small World. What do you know, I lost the touring plan half way through the morning, serves me right for being so rigid. As the obsessive planner I was disappointed I lost my game plan. We spent rest of the day riding rides in the order from my memory. Thank goodness I had been studying Disney for the last three months. Okay, I'll stop being my OCD self. Anyhow, we had an awesome time winging the rest of the day.
Day 3 - Another sweltering hot day at Magic Kingdom. I'm not a big fan of the revolving rides but I thought Dumbo is a must ride at Disney. At least for the photo opportunity. I still feel dizzy thinking about it going around and around. I guess I didn't learn my lesson since you'll see me ride Triceratops at Animal Kingdom, another revolving kiddy ride. We saw a few 3 D shows that scared Adrian. Poor little guy, we still felt bad but we honestly didn't think these shows would have the scare factors. Adrian is so advanced sometimes we forget he's only 19 months old. We went to Mickey's Toontown fair and meandered through Mickey and Minnie's home. It's a must do if you have a little one! took the train around the park. Adrian loves "choo choos" and we were glad to ride on them and give our sore feet a rest. It's unfortunate that strollers aren't allowed in the attractions. our biceps got a real workout this past week from carrying little man through the lines.
Day 3 (evening)- Zac and I hired a babysitter through a outside agency (still associated with Disney). we had a date in Epcot! it reminded me why we were so perfect together and why we married each other. While little man slept soundly at the resort Zac and I had teppanyaki at Teppan Edo in Japan (one of the World showcases in Epcot). After dinner we enjoyed each other's company and walked around the world showcases, they are so stunning when they're lit at night. Seeing the World Showcases reminded me that I want to visit these countries and share the cultures with Zac and Adrian one day.
Day 4 - This was our day at Animal Kingdom. I heard someone mention it hit the record high for temp. in October for Orlando. It was 94 degrees. Good thing AK had a lot of trees and shades. I patted my back for being a good planner and saved AK on the hottest day of the week. Adrian met many animals at AK. The Kalamanji Safari ride was a hoot. The safari truck ride through the bumpy safari roads got us out of the sun and it was a treat to be off of our feet. The driver with an Austrilian accent did a awesome job pointing out all the animals to us, even a super cute war hog taking a nap in a cave. Every time we pointed an animal out to Adrian he made the noise the animal made. Surprising how many animals sounded like a cow to Adrian! Zac had the opportunity to ride on Expedition Everest, a thrilling roller coaster ride. I'm sure he'll be chatting it up for weeks. The week went by so fast. Zac asked me what's on the agenda for tomorrow and he was in disbelief that I told him it's our departure day.
Day 5 - We were so sad to be going home. Zac made pancakes in our lovely vacation kitchen and then we checked in our flight and our luggage directly from our hotel. Disney really does a good job making sure you don't do too much carrying. I guess they figure having children to carrying around is enough. Disney knows how to host a vacation and they do it on an epic scale. We stayed on the property and got the meal plan free this time around. This meant that I only really had to carry around my room key which also served to deduct meal points. It was more than enough food and got Adrian all kinds of cool snacks. It was all handled and very stress free. The cast members bent backwards to make us happy. The waiters went beyond to find Adrian soy milk when all they offered was cow's milk. Disney is truly the happiest place on earth.
I cannot wait until Adrian is a bit older and is able to enjoy these Disney pictures and home videos with me. The planner in me is already thinking of a Christmas Tree ornament to represent our spectacular 2009 Disney trip.
