If there is one word that could capture our Disney vacation, that word would be magical. Disney isn't cheap, but they use that money to make sure that every aspect of your trip is fun and memorable. You don't just get washcloths stacked in your hotel room. Oh no, they are laid out in the shape of Mickey Mouse on your bed. And its not just a hotel room. It's Radiator Springs where kids sleep in car shaped beds and shower in a car wash. When we finally stepped foot in the Magic Kingdom, I had a momentary panic attack thinking maybe this wouldn't be that great and the kids wouldn't have that much fun. Then I would seem foolish for pushing this vacation so hard the last few years. But that fear literally lasted a minute, because we immediately came upon a parade of singing characters and the kids were mesmerized. And it was like that the whole trip. There was always something awesome around the next corner. I truly have never seen the kids as happy as they were on that four day trip. To sum up, Disney was worth every penny and more. It's a trip I will cherish forever.
We started out with a very early 6 a.m. flight, but the kids were ready to go!
After checking into the Art of Animation hotel and getting some lunch, we were off to the Magic Kingdom. The kids loved the Mad Tea Cup ride.
Love how Sabine has absolutely no sympathy for her poor mom in the stocks.
After getting out of that scrape, it was off to Belle's story hour. I thought they were just going to read us the Beauty and the Beast story. Oh no. The story was acted out and the props like the wardrobe and Lumiere came to life. Finn got to participate by being one of the plates. It was awesome.
Goof balls!
After enjoying rides like Pirates of the Caribbean and taking in Country Bears Jamboree during a brief downpour, we ran into Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen.
After getting up at 4 a.m. and going straight until 9 p.m., the kids understandably passed out on the twenty minute bus ride back to the hotel.
The next morning, we were off to Epcot
A former colleague recommended the princess breakfast at Akershus. Since we couldn't get reservations at Cinderella's castle, this was our backup. It was by far the best meal we had at Disney. And the girls were psyched to get tons of quality time with the princesses. First, we were greeted by Belle.
Then the kids learned how to bow and curtsey from Aurora.
And then we just sat back and enjoyed breakfast while we were visited by each of the princesses.
After all that breakfast, we decided to walk it off around Epcot for a bit. First, we visited the trolls from Frozen.
Then we ran into Chip and Dale. We also checked out Mexico and went on Journey into Imagination with Figment, Spaceship Earth and The Seas with Nemo and Friends. Kids gave it an okay. I think Dad and I would have had plenty of fun partaking of the drinks around the world, but that is for another day.
Then we were off to Hollywood Studios. To dress the part, the girls needed new shades and Finn got a hat.
Hollywood Studios was a lot of fun. We checked out the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, which Finn LOVED. I mean there were simulated fights against Nazis and Ninjas and they recreated the famous chase scene with the huge ball. What isn't there to love. We also watched Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage and participated in the Frozen Singalong where it actually snowed in the theatre at the end. So cool! And of course we had to hit up StarTours, where at the end of the ride it was revealed that Sabine was the rebel spy the Force was protecting the whole time. And the Great Movie Ride was a bit intense at times, but a lot of fun.
At one point Lourdes grabbed Sabine's glasses, put them on her head and said "Look, I'm Gigi." Gigi has a tendency of having multiple "cheaters" on at once. Cheeky girl. Then we were back to Magic Kingdom to watch the Electrical Parade at 9 pm. It was so freaking cool. Tons of floats all lit up and driven by your favorite characters. One of the trip's highlights for sure.
Day 3 and we were off to Universal. Immediately, we run into Scooby Doo and his crew. Of course we had to take a picture.
Then we stumbled upon a random parade, another picture was required. At this point, Finn was so keyed up to see Harry Potter that he about lost it every time we made a pit stop.
But who can ignore Curious George walking through the bathroom area?
Finally, we made it to Diagon Alley. It was lunch time and butter beer was on the menu.
It was worth taking the shuttle to Universal just to see PotterWorld. It was AMAZING! A dragon sat atop Gringotts bank and blew fire. The kids got wands that would make things move in certain windows. Riding the Hogwarts Express and the Ride of the Hippogriff was so much fun! Finn was in heaven. And when we were done with Seuss Landing, we ate dinner at a really good Mexican restaurant. After three long days of amusement parks, mom and dad needed a margarita.
Our last day began at the Beast's castle. It really looked exactly like it does in the movie. It was so cool!
The line to see Anna and Elsa never got below two hours, but we did visit with Cinderella.
And Sabine got to meet her hair idol. She was so happy!
Probably not wise to take a selfie while driving, but why not....
And just like that, the trip was over. It went by way too fast. But thanks to Joe's mastery of the Disney app, we hit almost all of the major attractions. Finn even got to go on Space Mountain and wasn't scared at all. And Sabine's favorite ride BY FAR was Splash Mountain. She wanted to sit in the front seat with dad and was bummed she didn't get wetter. Lourdes, on the other hand, hid behind me the whole time and declared she will never go on it again.
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