Taking 4 little girls ages 6 and under to Disney had been under consideration for several weeks before our trip. Claire has been to Disney twice (Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom) and Jeff has season passes for his kids. But Chloe has never been and is a card carrying princess lover – as well as Buzz Lightyear and the Cars gang. Plus I always thought the ages of 4 and 6 were the perfect time to take the kids. Even though it was Spring Break time and I knew the park would be crowded, I decided we would go. Jeff has lots of Disney experience and knew the ins and outs of navigating the attractions to minimize wait times using the Fast Passes. We also decided to pack lunches to save about $1000 on chicken nuggets and 45 minutes in yet another line. I recommend this to all Disney goers, in fact.
Back during our neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt, I mentioned to neighbors that we were taking the kids to Disney, although the kids didn’t know it yet. Jason also didn’t know it at that point, and he rolled his eyes thinking about it. Disney again?? Now, Jason swears he didn’t even like Disney as a kid. He thought it was lame back then, and now he thinks it is lame and expensive. My neighbors chimed in, “oh come on…. you can’t let go of the magic!! Disney is awesome!!” I nodded with them. Disney IS awesome! Right? I remembered our last 2 trips with Claire… it was in July in Orlando with oven-like temperatures. The lines were long, the cost was huge and Claire’s favorite part of the trip was the Holiday Inn that we stayed in. Truth be told, she really like Sea World a whole lot better. So did I.
So plans were made and we were set for Chloe to have her first Disney experience. The caravan left early on Friday morning with our coolers full of PB&J sandwiches, juice boxes and goldfish crackers. As the cars started herding into the massive parking lots (like cattle… moooooo) we flashed Jeff’s season pass to be passed through the payment station free of charge. See there! $14 for parking saved. Sweet.
Cars parked and sunscreen applied, we headed up to the tram to take us up to the ticketing area (mooooo…) Finally after throwing elbows, getting our group split up and cramming folded up strollers in the tram, we made it to the ticketing area. A small fortune later, we trekked to the monorail station line (moooooo….) to be shuttled to the Place Where Dreams Come True.
Jeff had the plan of attack after being herded off the monorail and through the pearly gates (moooooo….) We grabbed a Fast Pass here, and checked his iPhone app that showed the current wait times at popular rides – to the Pirates of the Caribbean we went – strollers buzzing through the crowds. The 20 minute wait wasn’t too bad and was mostly indoors (moooo….) and we boarded the little boat. Chloe looked nervous. Those nerves turned into face burying all out fear as we floated along, dodging cannon fire and scary looking pirates. By the time we floated back to the offload, she was a wreck and a pirate hater for life. Not to worry…. Next up we’re going to the Disney express choo-choo for a trip around the park. The kids really enjoyed this no waiting, easy going loop around the park and we stopped at a station to find a bench for lunch. Right next to our spot was Space Mountain – I remember that roller coaster being a really cool and fun ride but noticed the wait time that is digitally posted out front – 120 minutes??? Sheesh. Guess the grown-ups won’t be riding that one!
After lunch, Chloe was a wreck from innocent sounding rides that contained "periods of complete darkness" and "loud storm noises" from both Peter the Pan and even Winnie the Pooh. Winnie? Was thunder really necessary? We did find a couple things, besides the train, that all the kids really enjoyed. The carousel and the tea cups were a big hit - yes, the rides that can be found at the Pickens County Fairgrounds. Just sayin.'
After lunch, Chloe was a wreck from innocent sounding rides that contained "periods of complete darkness" and "loud storm noises" from both Peter the Pan and even Winnie the Pooh. Winnie? Was thunder really necessary? We did find a couple things, besides the train, that all the kids really enjoyed. The carousel and the tea cups were a big hit - yes, the rides that can be found at the Pickens County Fairgrounds. Just sayin.'
With that, our trip to Disney concluded and we headed back to Vero. As we shuttled back to our car in the 4th largest parking lot in the US (as boasted by the tram driver... moooooo!) Chloe told us as she was settling in her seat, "Mommy, I don't really like Disney World." I couldn't really blame her for that one.
Disney seems to me to be more and more about pumping movies and merchandise and less about the magic. We saw two characters in the park all day: Alice in Wonderland, who my kids don't know and had a line to 'meet' her about 100 people long, and Pluto, who was dressed up as a pirate (yeah, my kids weren't going near another pirate!) We caught a 10 minute glimpse of Mickey and the princesses during a show outside the castle - but that was from 100 yards away. Seriously, there needs to be 5 Mickey and Minnies walking around at all times.
Next time we'll hit Sea World.
(Big thanks to Jeff & my parents for going with us and leading the way!!)
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