Disney

We couldn’t spend a month on Florida’s Space Coast and not visit Walt Disney World. Honestly, we had sort of put a Disney trip off for several reasons: a dislike of long lines and waiting, seemed a bit overwhelming (so much to do there), and wanted the girls to be old enough to remember it! So, now seemed like a good enough time.

Ray’s mom and step-dad live in Kissimmee, so the six of us enjoyed four days at the parks (well, split up a little – two days, then a several-day break, and then the other two days). We started with Magic Kingdom, of course. We really lucked out! Going in mid-September proved to be a wise choice, as it was not crowded at all. We met just about every princess there is, rode a lot of the kiddie rides, and had a pretty successful first day!

The highlight of that day was Splash Mountain. Rayne had begged and begged to go on the “log ride where you get wet.” Even after we told her there was a big drop, she would not let us rest until we did it. So,

Rayne is the one crying, and that crying continued for 20 minutes after the ride ended. We are not allowed to mention Splash Mountain around her now.

Day 2 was spent mostly at Epcot, though we headed back to Magic Kingdom that evening for a few rides, the fireworks, light show, and parade. Ray and Rayne really enjoyed Epcot, as they are into technology and science (also, they like slow rides – not thrill seekers). Jayden and I liked it, too, but it wasn’t our fave of the four parks. Ray really liked a ride called “Living with the Land,” which was a boat ride through an agricultural lesson, and I believe he took notes for his future farm. The girls liked visiting Mexico, where we took another boat ride to learn about Mexican culture. We also ran into a couple of princesses at Epcot, and there was a little Polka music and dancing at one point.

That night, we had to revisit the three Magic Kingdom favorites: The Haunted Mansion (only Rayne and Paul, Grandpa D – aka “Pauly D,” rode that one, since Jayden found it traumatizing the day before), the Flying Elephants, and the Little Mermaid Ride. We also saw the light show, fireworks, and parade. Rayne slept through the parade, though.

After a couple of days of Disney, we headed back to our campsite for several days of beach, school, and visiting Baby Wren! Then, we threw a day at Sea World into the mix, before returning to Disney for the last two parks.

What can I say about Sea World? I had vowed never to return after the whole Blackfish documentary, but military members get free tickets once a year, and Sea World had issued that statement about “hearing America” and not breeding the orcas anymore. I was under the impression that the Shamu show was a thing of the past, but it’s still running. I guess they will continue it, but not breed anymore orcas in captivity…? I don’t know. I never really enjoyed that part of Sea World. I like the penguins, the rides, and touching stingrays. The highlight that day was Atlantis, which I talked Jayden into riding with me. We had a blast!

Back to Disney: Our third Disney day was spent at Animal Kingdom, where we met lots of animals, enjoyed an African safari, and were amazed by that really cool Tree of Life. Ray’s mom, Saijai, and I also rode the roller coaster, Expedition Everest, which was a highlight for me. The girls loved the Kali River Rapids ride, where we got soaked.

Final Day: Our last day was spent at Hollywood Studios, and it was a really great way to end our Disney adventure. At this point, Rayne had maybe gotten Disney’ed Out and was being pretty belligerent, but we continued on. There’s a lot of Star Wars stuff at Hollywood Studios, and not being a fan or even ever having watched any of the movies, it’s sort of lost on me. But, I really enjoyed the Great American Movie ride and Tower of Terror. I have to say that Tower of Terror was my favorite ride over the course of the Disney experience. I just like the way it’s set up – the Twilight Zone movie, the creepy hotel, the doors opening to see the hotel corridor, the dropping. All of it. I loved it. We also met some Disney Junior characters, which the girls loved, and saw some pretty fantastic shows: Frozen and Beauty and the Beast. We ended the evening with the Fantasmic Show, which was a great way to close our Disney days.

We chose to do a 4-day hopper, meaning we could go to any of the four Disney parks for four days (not necessarily consecutive days), and we found that to be enough for our family. We definitely plan to visit Disneyland, too, when we go to California several months from now. All in all, Disney was a good experience, but God bless those people who go every year (or, every vacation). That place will wear you out!