Disney World, Here We Come – Part 2 - Confessions of a Teaching Mom

Here is the second half of our first trip to Disney World!

Wednesday, February 4

Park Hopper Day! We started out at Animal Kingdom, then ended the day at Epcot. We didn’t have any FPs at Animal Kingdom but we did get to ride the Kilimanjaro Safari. We saw giraffes, rhinos, elephants, and so many other animals. The next part was pretty amazing! We happened to stumble upon the line for Festival of the Lion King and it was short! We even got seats on the front row! Then Callee was chosen to participate in the actual performance! She thought that was the coolest thing that had every happen to her! Right before we left Animal Kingdom, Jeff, Corey, Zoe, and Stella were able to ride Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain. Another thrill ride for those 4 thrill seekers!

Then we hopped on a bus and headed to Epcot. By this time, everyone was starving! We all wanted something different, so we split up. Part of the group stopped at Mexico for some authentic chips and salsa. Another part of our group travelled through Norway to China for some delicious rice and noodles. Once everyone finished their lunches, we met up in China to see Mulan! Bonus: another short line!! We perused through Germany and Italy, while heading towards The American Adventure. Once there, we stumbled upon Chip and Dale! I’ll admit that on this trip, we were exceeding lucky!! Next, we ventured to Japan to check it out. While there, we discovered that Jasmine and Aladdin were getting ready to appear in Morocco so off we went. We attempted to see Belle in France but we missed her. Callee wasn’t too upset because we knew we would see her later. Our last 2 stops before our first FP were United Kingdom and Canada. Although our next stop was a FP, we found a little surprise! Since we are Disney Visa cardmembers, we were able to see Pluto and Minnie… without a wait! Now, we didn’t know who we were seeing beforehand but we didn’t care. That was part of the allure. Shortly after that, we headed to our first FP of the day.

Our first FP at Epcot was The Seas with Nemo & Friends. We went “underwater” with Marlin and Dory to help them find Nemo. Plus we were able to wander around their pavilion and see all the aquariums and their inhabitants. Our next FP was for Turtle Talk with Crush. This attraction was very interactive. The audience asked questions and Crush answered them. All the kids loved it! Callee even asked Crush a question and got her answer. Our final FP for Epcot was Soarin’. All I can say is WOW! That ride is a MUST for ALL!

Our last stop for the day was at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall for a character dining experience titled Princess Storybook Dining. It was an enchanting experience. First, we met Belle in her royal attire. She was very proper and polite! Next, we found our table and began eating. The food was delectable and served family style. During that time, we were visited by Ariel, Snow White, and Aurora. Callee beamed each time a princess arrived at our table. She was savoring each and every moment with these characters. We all were! I would definitely recommend this character experience because you can see several princesses in one location, while waiting in the A/C and eating. After our sensational dinner, we headed back to the hotel and crashed!

Thursday, February 5

We decided we needed one more day at Magic Kingdom but this day started even earlier that the others. Magic Kingdom had Extra Magic Hours, which means that the park opened an hour earlier. This advantage allowed us to ride some rides without waiting in long lines. Then, we headed to our first FP: Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. Even though I was pregnant, I was able to “ride” this ride because it was a show, not an actual ride. Plus, my abs got a great workout from all the laughing I did. It was an adorable show that I would recommend to everyone. Our next adventure was Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. This ride was very similar to Toy Story Mania, so we all enjoyed it. Our mission was to defeat Zurg by shooting laser guns at the “Z” targets. At the end of the ride, we were each awarded with a Star Command ranking. Several of us received Ranger 1st Class rankings, which is a score between 10,001-100,000. The rest of us received Space Scout rankings, which is 1,001-10,000. I won’t reveal what my score was, but it was fairly high.

The next journey was not shared by the entire group. We split up again because the big kids, aka Jeff, Corey, Stella, and Zoe, didn’t want to go watch Beauty and the Beast with us. They decided it would be more fun to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. So they headed to their FP, while we headed to Enchanted Tales with Belle. This show was probably the worst one of our experience. The show was adorable but Belle was not at all into her job. You could tell that she didn’t want to be there because, even though she was smiling, she could not hide her true emotions. Now, I’m not criticizing her or even upset with her because I don’t know how long she had been there or what her day was like before this show. All I know is that Callee could tell that Belle wasn’t happy to be there and that didn’t sit well with me. My explanation to Callee was that maybe she was tired because she had been there for a long time.

After that, we headed to Princess Fairytale Hall to meet Rapunzel and Tiana. Callee’s first princess obsession was Rapunzel so you can only imagine her reaction when she finally got to meet her. One of the reasons that Callee wouldn’t cut her hair was because she wanted to be like Rapunzel. Tiana was a total bonus to her! We have south Louisiana roots, so she thought the movie was cool because of that. After meeting those princesses, we positioned ourselves for a spectacular view of the castle for Happily Ever After, the fireworks show. On our way to our spot, we ran into Merida and grabbed a picture with her. Callee adores her and has always strived to be independent, just like her! The fireworks show was truly bewitching, between the animations on the castle and the breath-taking fireworks.

Our last stop for the night require a short bus ride to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort to eat at ‘Ohana. This is a MUST for EVERY visit you make. The food is indescribably good. The meal is served family style and the waiters are constantly bringing different foods to the table. This event was a non-character dining experience but we still loved it! You can also play games during the meal, but we opted not to since it was so late.

Friday, February 6

This day was not Disney-related. We decided to make the most of our visit in Orlando by Ubering over to Universal Studios. While Disney runs in our blood, we also like Harry Potter! However, we did have breakfast at Chef Mickey’s. If you have the chance to go, then GO! A truly unimaginable experience! The food was delectable and the characters took their time at each table. We were able to see Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Pluto.

After we stuffed ourselves, we headed to Universal Studios. See this post for more information on that trip (coming soon).

Saturday, February 7

Departure Day! This day was bittersweet. Our flight left Orlando at 4:00 pm so we had to be checked out and ready to go by 11:00 am. We decided to get up and head over to Disney Springs until we had to leave. We did lots of shopping and getting our last Disney fix. At that time, we didn’t know that we would be back in 6 short months! The magic had to end though. The Disney Magical Express motorcoach picked us up from our resort and took us straight to the airport. Again, the experience was seamless. They took care of our luggage and all we had to worry about was ourselves. It was truly a magical experience that none of us with ever forget. It also inspired Zoe to join the Disney College Program, which is why we visited Disney World again 6 months later. But that story is for another time!