My first trip to Disney World was in high school (although I was in Disneyland in California when I was very young, and don't remember it at all). I was 17 years old and I went on a two week trip to Florida with my good friend Jen and her family. We drove from Michigan, and we camped at the Disney Fort Wilderness campground. It was so much fun. Being teenagers, I think a big part of why we had such a great time was because we were allowed to be so independent. We rode the Disney buses all over the place, visiting the different parks, and even going swimming at one of the swanky hotel pools (guests of Disney can use the amenities at the different properties, even lowly campers).
I didn't get back to Disney World until Bethany was a baby, when Chris and I, along with his mom, were visiting my brother-in-law, who very conveniently lives in Orlando. We took Bethany to the Magic Kingdom for the day. I was really excited to visit the park because my friend and I had skipped it during our high school trip.
Our next visit we had three kids; Lucy was not even three months old. This time we had the pleasure of utilizing a Disney hotel in Orlando. It was a whirl wind trip, with every moment literally filled with fun. Staying in a Disney hotel in Orlando made our Disney World experience all the more fantastic. The convenience of taking buses from our hotel to the various parks was just awesome. Plus we were able to take advantage of extra hours in the parks, and we bought the meal plan as well. We just went all out Disney for four days, having meals with characters, standing in line for all kinds of meet and greets, going on rides again and again, staying out late, and wearing ourselves down to the point of exhaustion. It was one of my favorite weeks of being a mom so far. Even though I found out the hard way that Lucy would not take a bottle of pre-mixed formula and I had to nurse her every two hours the whole time. We were having so much fun, nothing could have put a damper on it. Chris's mom and step-dad were with us too, which helped out quite a bit and added to our enjoyment of the trip.
Since then we have been back to various Disney World parks for day trips while visiting my brother-in-law. One day at Disney is better than none for sure, and I am so grateful that my brother-in-law lives close by, has a big house, and welcomes our big, loud family into his home. But one day I hope we can once again stay at a Disney hotel in Orlando, and have a totally all-encompassing Disney experience with all four of our munchkins.
Do you have any favorite Disney memories? Some of mine include:
- Lunch with the princesses at Epcot when Bethany was 5 - it was so magical for her!
- Seeking out and finding every last princess for autographs and pictures, also when Bethany was 5.
- Being at the Magic Kingdom until closing when Lucy was 2. My in-law's stayed in a restaurant with her and let her sleep while Chris and I took Bethany and Connor on all the rides they wanted to go on.
- Spending Thanksgiving Day at the Magic Kingdom when Mattie was 1 - a 13 - hour extravaganza of fun!
- Being harassed by Storm Troopers while waiting in line at Star Tours when Connor was 3.
Do you love Disney World too? Tell me what you love best!
No comments:
Post a Comment