My parents took my brother and me when we were kids – he was 5 and I was 10. Our grandparents had been and brought us stuff back and we liked our presents. I had seen all of the princess movies that were out at the time, and owned some Lisa Frank Disney binders for school and some Disney Store things from Lakeside Mall. That was the extent of it save the senior trip Mandeville High students got to go on, which was a whirlwind tour of three parks in a weekend. At the time is was Blizzard Beach one afternoon, Magic Kingdom afterhours for Grad Night, Epcot and MGM Studios (now Hollywood Studios).
Each time I’d been to Disney, we traveled by car. I do love a road trip as an adult if we can sightsee along the way or if it’s a short drive, but I generally prefer to fly places if it’s affordable. Well, my sister-in-law is from Florida and she grew up going to Disney on the regular. Her love of the parks really became apparent to us when she and my brother started having kids. Honestly, my parents, I and my husband wondered what the deal was. We know it’s not a cheap vacation, and we just didn’t understand the allure – kids or not. They have been annual pass holders multiple years and drive there every time. Turns out, my brother is a fan now, too.
Cousins on both sides of the family have been and some of our daughter’s classmates, so even though we weren’t pushing it at home or watching more than “Parent Trap” or “Mary Poppins”, our girl was learning about the current princesses and the classic characters like Mickey and his friends. Sister-in-law started suggesting that our girl go with them on a trip to try it out. We agreed without hesitation, knowing she would be in good hands and that we’d likely not be planning our own trip for a few more years. That idea morphed into, “Hey, do you want to do a girls trip?” and since SIL is a Disney travel agent, we got a nice deal that we thought would be silly to pass up.
The first week of April, we loaded up our three girls – ages 5, 4, and 2 – in the backseat and my SIL and I in the front and headed to the parks! Since I hadn’t been in over twenty years and my daughter had never been before, we considered ourselves first timers and the trip was planned so that we would catch the highlights of each park. Animal Kingdom didn’t exist when I went before and Hollywood Studios was known as MGM Studios. Both Magic Kingdom and Epcot have both gone through some changes in the span of time between my visits as well. Fast passes and possibly meal plans (although I was a kid so maybe I just wasn’t aware they existed) were also new things to me this go round.
The road trip was fun – the girls had the best time singing, coloring, playing games and watching movies. SIL and I got to catch up and have an adult conversation, which rarely happens during holiday dinners. Her navigational skills obviously helped a great deal, and her knowledge of the parks and planning skills in general also played a huge role in this trip being a success. Did the girls get tired of each other? Of course. We all got hot and tired, and mine wanted to live at the hotel pool while the other two were more inclined to shop or meet characters. Overall, though, it really was a nice trip.
Each day we visited a different park. The first day we went to Magic Kingdom and while we were there, they happened to have extra Magic Hours, which helped us do more rides than we normally would have. Turns out, my girl loves rollercoasters! We ended up in the first car for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and it hardly phased her. Every ride we did she wanted to get back in line to do again! Side note: I love New Orleans’ Mardi Gras parades, but the artistry and professionalism of the Disney parades is truly magical and very impressive.
The second day we went to Animal Kingdom. It was a good laid back day, which we needed to recuperate from all the walking we’d done in the Magic Kingdom the day and night before. Another side note: it was a nice park, but to me, Audubon Zoo is so well done that it’s hard to top even with the special rides and characters. However, the Mickey and Minnie visit was the best there out of the entire trip. They were so sweet and spent so much time with my girl I nearly cried. Maybe that’s when I started to drink the Kool-Aid.
Our third day was at Hollywood Studios and it was rough. The park itself is fine, but we were so exhausted from the two previous days that we probably could have all benefitted from a day at the hotel by the pool. By the way, we stayed at Pop Century. The cafeteria, the pool, and all of the things to explore and participate in while you’re there can be a vacation in itself. We did enjoy a late lunch at Brown Derby, however, and got moved to the VIP section to meet Chewbacca, Kylo Ren, and BB-8 because my nieces were dressed so cute. We skipped the fireworks show that night, however, because we all just needed a break. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening by the hotel pool and watched the featured movie, “Ralph Breaks the Internet”.
The final day of the trip was spent at Epcot. I’d say it is still my favorite park, and now that I can drink my way around the world (and have a more experienced palate) it’s even better. It rained and lightninged that night, though, so the fireworks show was canceled. The Flower and Garden Show was beautiful, and the Eggstravaganza Scavenger Hunt was an added bonus for the girls, as was the princess meet and greet in Norway.
Now we’ve made great memories, seen what it’s all like these days, and can go back after saving up for a while. There will be other vacations in between. We still aren’t going to be Disney all the time people, but I can say that I have a much better understanding of my SIL’s love for it, see that an adults-only trip would be a lot of fun, too, and there is certainly a park for everyone. The trick is convincing my husband why it’s worth it. Thankfully, Star Wars and The Muppets will help a lot with that. Also, I could never have planned this trip without the help from my SIL. I don’t know how people go without a planner to be perfectly honest. It’s overwhelming with so many options for everything – from the places to stay, fast passes, meal plans, and getting around and to and from the parks.
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