Magic Kingdom Day! (March trip report pt. 6)

I think I've decided that the only think I really don't like about Disney's moderate resorts are the buses.  It seems like a person must either have an uncanny ability to be at the bus stop at exactly the right time, or you have to wait for quite a while.  Needless to say, on our Magic Kingdom morning, we were up and at the bus stop really early, and still had to wait too long.  We missed the rope drop ceremony, which is one of my absolute favorite ways to start the day, but we still got there early enough to be through the gates and in the park shortly after opening.  There was a lot of work being done on Main Street, so several buildings had the tarps made to look like buildings.  I'm glad Disney tries to keep it magical, but I have to say, it's just not that pretty.
After getting our picture taken in front of the castle, we headed for Fantasyland to torture my mom by making her ride "It's a Small World."  I warned her that since it was Ari's first trip, she had to ride it, but I think she was secretly hoping I would forget.  I didn't!!  Up next, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.  The boys had a great time in the queue, with Ari banging on the drums and Payton testing his strength against the gophers.  Of course, every parent's nightmare, the honey wall, was touched frequently.

If you haven't seen this thing, it is a neat idea in theory, but a germ infested mess in reality.  Disney created these "walls" with digital honey running down them.  If you wipe across them vigorously, you can uncover Winnie the Pooh characters.  So everyone is wiping their hands on them...yuck.  Thankfully, the line started moving fast once we reached this point, so the boys didn't get to do as much wiping as I'm sure they would have liked.  (Mom didn't care for this ride either, but if you are wondering how I got her on it, read the above about It's a Small World...no choice Grams, suck it up!)  I also got a chance to get a few pics of New Fantasyland over the construction walls!
My favorite attractions in Fantasyland were next, Mickey's Philharmagic and Peter Pan.  I firmly believe that Mickey's Philharmagic is one of the best additions to Disney World in a long time.  The 3-D film is amazing, the extra special effects make it magical, and you get to hear some of the best in Disney movie music.  What more could you ask for?!  We had picked up fast passes for Peter Pan before riding on It's a Small World, so we were able to use those now and take a flight over London and Neverland.  I will never get too old for this ride!
We decided to move on out of Fantasyland, so Ari and Grams headed to the Haunted Mansion while Payton and I picked up Jungle Cruise fast passes and did a little shopping.  Payton isn't a fan of the Haunted Mansion and no matter how much I would like for him to love it, I just can't convince him.  Oh well, maybe he'll come to appreciate it when he's older.  We did find some great pins and Payton got a Star Wars pin set.  We met up with mom and Ari and headed to Crystal Palace for our lunch date with the Winnie the Pooh characters.  Lunch was delicious and we had so much fun watching Ari meeting some of his favorite characters.
After lunch, we moved over to Adventureland to try and use our fast passes.  The crazy thing was, the fast pass line was just as long as the regular line, so we opted to skip it and moved on over to Pirates of the Caribbean.  I guess I'm spoiled because I'm used to basically walking on this ride with no more than a 5-10 minute wait, max.  Needless to say, we were in line outside the building for that long, then slowly moved through the building.  It was nice to see some of the details, but it was hard waiting so long.  After Pirates, we made our way over to Frontierland in hopes of a ride on Big Thunder Mountain or Splash Mountain.  Big Thunder was down and Splash had a horrible line, so we opted to catch the train and take a ride around to the front of the park, then back to the resort for a rest and some swimming.

 We decided to try dinner at the Pepper Market at the resort, and it was wonderful!  It was nice to have so many options, and we had a great server who tried his best to help mom, who was losing her voice.  He kept bringing her tea and honey.


We arrived back at the Magic Kingdom just in time to get a great spot for The Magic, The Memories & You castle show, followed by Wishes fireworks.  It makes me teary every time!  We decided to take advantage of being in the Magic Kingdom after dark by spending time in Tomorrowland, which I think is much cooler at night!  We picked up fast passes for Space Mountain, then enjoyed Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Carousel of Progress and Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor Comedy Club.

Gotta love that intensity!!

The boys decided to get their own car for Space Ranger Spin, so mom & I battled for the high score (I got it!).  I was so proud when both boys began singing along to "There's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" during our ride on Carousel.  We all laughed like crazy at the Laugh Floor.  Then it was on to Space Mountain.  Mom was nervous about riding, and I wasn't too excited myself (I've had some bad experiences on this ride, I'll tell you about it some other time).  But we soldiered on so that the boys could ride it.  Ari got the front car, followed by Payton, myself and mom.  Mom kept asking if Ari was in tight enough.  He kept saying, "I'm fine, Grams!"  Needless to say, the cast member sensed mom's anxiety and triple checked him just to make sure.  Then it was launch time.  Ari was seriously excited!  I could hear him whooping and giggling and counting down.  The ride was a lot like I remembered, and made me a little queasy with a bit of a headache.  Mom wasn't feeling too great after either.  I don't know if it's just the ride that does it though, because I always start feeling yucky as I go through the building to get to the ride.  Might be the air in there combined with the lighting that starts my downward spiral.  Who knows?  But the boys loved it and that's all that mattered.  I can say this, next trip, Payton can ride it with his dad, and I will do some shopping or eat some popcorn and wait for them outside!!
We decided to wrap up our ride experience of the night with a spin on the People Mover.  It was nice and cool and we were able to relax and just enjoy the views around Tomorrowland and of the castle.  After the People Mover, we headed back to Main Street, stopping for a photopass pic in front of the castle.  I made everyone walk nice and slow and take it all in.  The crowd had thinned out significantly, so we just enjoyed our stroll and looking in the various windows.
We were even there for the Kiss Goodnight!  (If you aren't sure what that is, check out this link:  Kiss Goodnight.

After a very magical night, we made our way back to the bus, and both boys managed to doze a little on the ride back to the resort.  Unfortunately, they are way too big to carry, so they both had to wake up just enough to get to the room and roll into bed.

So what do you think so far?  Do you enjoy the parks more in the morning or at night?  Please leave comments for me and stay tuned, coming up next is our full day at Disney's Hollywood Studios!

A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes

Today, while I was visiting with some former co-workers and good friends, the subject of "dreams" came up.  We were talking and my son, Payton, said that he thought I should go back to working there full time (he loves the place).  My good friend said to him, "I would love that, but your mommy has worked very hard to fulfill her dream of becoming a therapist, and I wouldn't want to get in the way of that dream."  They talked for a while about her dreams and his dreams for the future. 

Then tonight, he and I spent some time watching "America's Got Talent" together.  Now mind you, I typically hate these shows, but they were finally in the semi-finals so really all the acts were pretty good.  Watching these people talk about living out their dreams seemed to continue the theme for the day.

So once my guys were in bed and I had a little quiet time to myself, all I could think was, "Am I following my dream? What is my dream?"  At one point in time, it really was to be a therapist, but is it still? 

To me, that beautiful song I used as a title for this post says it all.  A dream is a wish your heart makes.  If something is your "dream" it should come from your heart.  Over time, no matter what has happened or changed in your life, if it is a true dream, it should tug at your heartstrings and make you want it all the more.  Your dream should be your passion.

All too often I think we shape our dreams around something other than our heart's deepest wishes.  It's my dream to do ________, because it will make me a lot of money.  It's my dream to do _________, because it will make my family proud.  It's my dream to become a __________, because then I can take my family around the world.  It's my dream to do ________, because really what else can I do?

Now is making money, making your family proud, or taking your family around the world necessarily a bad thing?  Of course not!  But is that how you choose your dreams?  I hope not.

And do we only get one dream?  Boy I hope not, because if so, I'm in deep trouble!  I remember in elementary school, my dream was to become an astronaut.  I wanted to be a shuttle commander.  I don't know how many times I had watched the movie "Space Camp" during that time frame.  It was all I wanted in the world.  Of course now you know, if you read my cruise report, I get terrible motion sickness.  I also happen to have developed a bit of a fear of heights.  Space is probably not the best place for me!

But I have to say, I have always envied people who have known their dream all their life, pursued it, attained it, and then have been contented with it.  Another friend I visited with today told me that her son, who is in college this year, will probably only go for two years because that's all he needs to do the job he wants to do.  A job, in fact, that he's already doing (to an extent) and that he's always wanted to do.  And he's as happy as he can be.  What I wouldn't give to have that kind of focus. 

Every now and then we are forced to really look at our dreams and decide if that's truly what we want for our lives.  I read an article on the Disney Driven Life website a few nights ago that talked about getting a "kick in the teeth" and it shared this quote from Walt Disney:  “All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me… You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”

After reading that all I could think was how appropriate it is for me.  If you've read my trip report from the beginning, I mentioned that I needed our vacation more than ever due to work and financial related issues.  Bottom line, I lost my job.  I still don't have a 9-5 full time job.  But I have started a private therapy practice.  And I'm working to expand it and provide more specialized services.  But I can't help but wonder if the lesson in all of this is that it's time to not just do a job to pay the bills but it's time to follow my heart and pursue my passion in life, whatever that is?!?!

So as I sit here tonight writing this post, I have some serious soul searching to do.  What is my dream?  Right now, I don't know.  I think I stopped listening to my heart's wishes a while ago.   Not that what I do is not important or not a good plan for me, but if it's not my dream, then I need to find a way to pursue my dreams too.  Do you have a dream?  Are you pursuing it?  What are you passionate about?  Whatever it may be, don't let anything stand in the way of working toward that dream. 

"No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true."

Downtown Disney & The Magic Kingdom: Trip Report pt 6

When Saturday rolled around, we decided it was time to slow things down a little bit and enjoy some time at Downtown Disney and our resort before heading to the Magic Kingdom.  So after sleeping in a bit, we decided that the best way to get the day started was with a swim in the pool!  We headed down after a quick bite of breakfast and enjoyed a nearly empty pool.  The water was nice and warm.  What was really fun was that we were actually in the pool when the lifeguards came to open the slide!  Payton and Kendall both took turns on the slide while I just enjoyed the water.  After a few hours in the pool, I headed up to the room to get ready and the boys followed a bit later.

 Once we were cleaned up, we made our way over to Downtown Disney.  Oddly enough, it's my son who's addicted to this place because he loves to shop!  He was asking right away to visit Once Upon a Toy and the World of Disney store.  I, on the other hand, had only one thing in mind...Babycakes!

We started our morning at the Marketplace side bus stop.  Since it was time for lunch, we stopped at our new favorite DTD eatery, the Earl of Sandwich.  No matter what time of day, this place always has a line, but I have to say, they are extremely efficient and before you know it, you have your food in hand and the hunt for a table begins.  We were able to sit outside in the shade and enjoy some amazing sandwiches.

Now Once Upon a Toy was within visual range while we ate, so that was our next natural stop.  Poor Payton, every time we go there he finds stuff to spend his money on, and every time, we tell him to wait because we will come back by on the way to the bus.  Up next, Team Mickey!  This is Kendall's favorite DTD store, with all the various ESPN and sports related items.  He found a great buy on two ESPN t-shirts, and somehow, my son came home with a San Diego Chargers mini football helmet!  I'm still not sure how that happened!  After the boys made their purchases, we headed on to the World of Disney store.  I love looking around in World of Disney because there is just so much to look at!  Any possible item with a Disney tie-in can be found in this massive store.  There were so many T-shirts that I wanted to buy, and office items, and purses, and I could go on and on...but needless to say, I walked away empty handed.

A quick walk past the Lego store and we had finally arrived at the Pollo Campero/Fresh-A-Peel/Babycakes complex.  I am so looking forward to eating a full meal here in the future.  All of their offerings looked amazing!  We made a beeline for the Babycakes counter and each chose a cupcake to try.  Kendall picked up a banana cupcake, Payton got a chocolate cupcake with mint icing, and I picked out a lemon cupcake.  These were the best things I think I've ever eaten at Disney...and the only things we ate so fast that I couldn't get a picture of them!  If you don't know much about Babycakes, please check out their website at http://www.babycakesnyc.com.  It's hard to imagine that such amazing cupcakes (and everything else in their bakery cabinets) could be gluten free, refined sugar free, wheat free, vegan, etc.  But they are!  It got to taste Payton's but Kendall wouldn't let me near his!!  So next time you are in Downtown Disney, be sure to follow your sweet tooth to Babycakes.  It's totally worth it!

After our sweet treats, we made our way back across Marketplace and back to Once Upon a Toy so that Payton could pick up his souvenirs.  He built another light saber this trip and got a really neat Star Tours 2 poster as a gift.  Then it was back to the bus and back to AKL to rest up a bit for our evening.

The Magic Kingdom was on our agenda for the evening, so we headed over around five-ish, and our first stop was to meet Mickey Mouse at his new location in the Main Street Theater.  I have to say, I LOVE this meet & greet location, far better than Toon Town.  The theming is very well done, and carries over into the exit store.  I hope this one stays for a long time!

Up next, Carousel of Progress.  It had been many years since I had been on this ride, and my son had never been, so it was important to me to share this original attraction with him.  Needless to say, it brought back many memories and created a few new ones (as Payton's new favorite song to sing to me is "there's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow...").  Next it was time for me to smoke the boys on Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin...325,700 points!!!

Because we've been to Disney so many times now, we really tried to do some new things this trip, things we've just not taken the time for in the past.  So we made a bee line toward Liberty Square in hopes of going over to Tom Sawyer Island.  Unfortunately for us, they were shutting it down.  Something to look forward to on our next trip!  Backup plan was Big Thunder Mountain, but it was having some technical difficulties and they weren't sure when it would reopen.  So, since we didn't want to ride Splash Mountain, we decided to take this time and have a bite to eat, and headed on to Columbia Harbour House.  We absolutely love this quick service restaurant!  My guys like seafood, and their chicken is pretty good too, so it works out for all of us.  Plus they have a wonderful seating area upstairs that is generally not very crowded and gives nice views of the park.

After dinner, it was time to head to Fantasyland, since Payton couldn't be convinced to do the Haunted Mansion.  Although we ride all of these rides nearly every trip, I really wanted to see the new queue line at Winnie the Pooh.  A lot of work has been done here to make it more enjoyable for guests.  Unfortunately, that work was really targeted toward the under 5 guests, and we were pretty bored with it quickly.  Also, the noise level was raised significantly in the honey bee section.  The walls of honey were a neat addition (lcd screens that appear to have honey dripping down, and when rubbed, sometimes you find hidden characters) but after exploring them a bit, you suddenly become aware of all the germy, nasty hands that have been rubbing on it before you.  Eww...  Of course, the ride itself is still one of my favorites, but we'll just stick with fast pass next time!

Another attraction that has become a family favorite is Mickey's Philharmagic, so naturally we had to take in a show!  If you've never visited this attraction before, prepare to be amazed.  This has to be the best example of what 4D should be.  You will experience flawless 3D animation along with amazing sounds and smells that leave you feeling like you are a part of the show.  It is well worth the time to see Mickey's Philharmagic!
 

Following the show, we decided to head toward the front of the castle to take in "The Magic, The Memories and You", as well as Wishes.  We found a nice little nook near Cosmic Rays and the boys found a seat while I went to pick up popcorn and sodas.  Once the MM&Y show started, we realized quickly that it wasn't the best viewing location and decided to catch the second showing.  It was nice though to just sit and enjoy our snack!  We watched a little bit of Wishes from that spot, then moved around to the Rose Garden area.  Of course, once Wishes was over, we were caught in the mass exodus across the bridge.  At that point, we just held on to each other and took baby steps as the crowd would allow.  Once we reached the hub, we moved over toward the Adventureland bridge and set up camp there.  We had a fantastic spot to watch the second MM&Y show near the bridge and across from Crystal Palace.  My goal was to move up the the Liberty Square bridge for the second Main Street Electrical Parade, then back into Adventureland following the parade and ride a couple of rides while the remaining masses left the park.  Amazingly enough, that plan worked!  So many people leave the park after Wishes, so if you are able to stay up a little later, I would highly recommend waiting for the second parade and enjoying the park with far fewer people in it!

I have to say, "The Magic, The Memories, & You" is a phenomenal show!  The technology combined with the music and photos of actual families visiting the park makes for a beautiful and emotional experience.  Videos don't do it justice, and mine was not that good anyway, but I've found one to share with you from WDWRadio!

Now the last time I had seen the Main Street Electrical Parade was when I had visited the Magic Kingdom at age 12.  I was so excited to see it again and share it with my guys!  SpectroMagic is amazing, but this parade holds a special place in my heart.  Especially Elliot the Dragon!  We were in such a great spot.  Still in the hub where we had the castle in the background, but right near the bridge with a very close view of the floats.

As soon as the parade was over, we made our way back to the Adventureland bridge as planned and were able to ride Aladdin's Magic Carpets and The Jungle Cruise.  Our cruise into the jungle was just a tiny bit too long and we didn't make it to Pirates of the Caribbean before closing.  So we headed back toward the buses and back to Animal Kingdom Lodge.  Gotta get some rest, another big day of Star Wars Weekend tomorrow!

 Next post, our final day of Star Wars Weekend and the trip home.  Hope you've enjoyed the journey with us thus far.  Please post any comments or questions.  I love hearing from you!