Our family has taken a quite a few trips to Disney World in our lifetime.
I have very vivid memories of those vacations (and still experience some weird dreams about Disney here and there, particularly the balls under the walkway for Space Mountain and the never-ending darkness under the Peter Pan flying ships).
As a child, every single thing about Disney World was absolutely magical.
The characters, the jumping water at Epcot, the never-ending supply of candy, everywhere.
I was worried if I returned to Disney as an adult that it would never compare to the experience we had as starry-eyed children.
(Just look at those starry eyes, andddd jorts, matching embroidered shirts, and my bow/bang combo)
(Just look at those starry eyes, andddd jorts, matching embroidered shirts, and my bow/bang combo)
We couldn't have been more surprised.
It was everything we remembered and more.
There was so much to appreciate, more-so now as an adult.
All the workers were SO happy and friendly and accommodating. The rides were still every bit as exciting. The crowds were tolerable.
It was SO clean.
I once read Walt Disney calculated that trashcans needed to be no more than thirty feet apart to minimize littering in the park.
I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty thankful for the fact that I wasn't having to lug a stroller and a baby bag around all day.
Although I did daydream here and there about one day returning with children, I was pretty glad to be able to go with my entire family without the hassle distraction of babies and and strollers to keep up with.
Seriously though, is it safe to just leave your stroller and baby bag in the "stroller parking lot" while you are on a ride?
It gave me anxiety just thinking about it.
Anywayssssss, back to the recap:
We spent the second part of our trip at the Magic Kingdom.
Prior to leaving for the trip, we worked pretty hard at convincing Josh that we had ordered matching shirts to wear for Christmas card photos (like we did back in 1995).
When getting ready that morning, mom "passed out shirts" and gave her Mickey Mouse thermal to Josh to wear.
He reluctantly, without complaining, donned the thermal (and was actually a good sport about it!) thennnnn we all laughed until we cried.
I think the scoop neck complimented his chest hair nicely.
After we told him it was a joke, he said he was tempted to really wear it around that day just to embarrass us.
He was pretty thankful to be able to change into his Saints polo.
After all, it was game day.
When it came to Christmas decor, Main Street USA was the cutest.
I was really fascinated by the Mickey balloons and the festive balloon holder people.
What a job.
What a job.
Have I mentioned how hot it was?
We really weren't prepared to actually sweat in December (after all, mom did buy everyone Mickey Mouse thermals).
When we booked our trip, we were repetitively told that the weeks between Thanksgiving were the worst time to go to Disney because of the crowds.
So naturally, in my little worst case scenario brain, I pictured shoulder-to-shoulder congestion on Main Street USA.
It really wasn't thaaaaaat bad.
Thank goodness.
Our first stop of the morning:
Space Mountain
(So that I could face my fears of the scary ball pits that I have the occasional nightmare about)
Space Mountain selfie!
The awkward action shots really make the ride look like a pre-school playground.
After attempting to deplete our never ending supply of snack credits (shout out to the cream cheese stuffed Mickey Mouse pretzels) we got a little competitive with the Buzz Lightyear ride.
Again, I'm SO glad we opted for the PhotoPass service.
These pictures absolutely crack me up.
For the record, if we ever got trapped in space and had to accurately shoot space creatures, I would be responsible for saving our lives.
It wouldn't be a complete trip to Disney without experiencing the vomit-inducing teacups.
I'm fairly certain we set a record for most people squeezed into a teacup.
Spoiler alert!
They are working on a new roller coaster specifically for the Seven Dwarfs!
There were little holes in the wall surrounding the construction, allowing you to see the progress of the ride.
Mom wouldn't let us leave the park without riding It's A Small World.
The boys may have gotten annoyed here and there, but I enjoyed mom's excitement and dedication to do it all.
So very Yolo of her.
Small World Selfie!
It realllllllly is a great ride.
We had lunch that day at the Liberty Tree Tavern.
The entrees were meh, but the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake was MIND BLOWING.
Hands down, it was everyone's favorite dessert of the trip.
It wasn't near as cute as our desserts from Flying Fish or California Grill, but it was by far the tastiest, gooiest, most scrumptious thing OF ALL TIME.
We didn't manage to take any pictures (which I'm still shocked about) but after some googling I found this copycat recipe here and you better believe I'm trying it ASAP.
The author of Disney Food Blog describes it perfectly:
This isn’t “cake.”
It’s more like a crispy-on-the-outside, gooey-on-the-inside toffee chocolate chip cookie-ish sort of thing.
Rich, buttery flavor is complimented by the bittersweet chocolate chips. Ice cream tops the whole thing off, and the dessert is drizzled in chocolate and toffee.
Basically? It’s one of the best desserts on Disney property.
Next stop: Splash Mountain
What better ride to hop on following a hearty meal at an New England style tavern?
Mom opted out of this one (and most other rides that involved screaming for that matter)
The entrees were meh, but the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake was MIND BLOWING.
Hands down, it was everyone's favorite dessert of the trip.
It wasn't near as cute as our desserts from Flying Fish or California Grill, but it was by far the tastiest, gooiest, most scrumptious thing OF ALL TIME.
We didn't manage to take any pictures (which I'm still shocked about) but after some googling I found this copycat recipe here and you better believe I'm trying it ASAP.
The author of Disney Food Blog describes it perfectly:
This isn’t “cake.”
It’s more like a crispy-on-the-outside, gooey-on-the-inside toffee chocolate chip cookie-ish sort of thing.
Rich, buttery flavor is complimented by the bittersweet chocolate chips. Ice cream tops the whole thing off, and the dessert is drizzled in chocolate and toffee.
Basically? It’s one of the best desserts on Disney property.
Photo via DisneyFoodBlog.com |
What better ride to hop on following a hearty meal at an New England style tavern?
Mom opted out of this one (and most other rides that involved screaming for that matter)
Instead she stood on the bridge and mistakenly took photos of every boat that made the big drop, except ours.
Thank goodness for the stalker cam.
. . . and a fist pumping father.
Middle Eastern Ellie just hadddd to protect her luscious locks.
Twenty years later, mom's Mickey dress is still going strong.
Josh wanted a Cinderella's Castle photo op as well.
WE LOVED DISNEY!
You can never have too many photos in front of the castle.
So back to the most important thing, food.
Ice cream sandwiches bigger than your face.
This, my friends, is a red velvet Mickey Mouse cake pop with marshmallow ears.
See? Disney really is the happiest place on earth.
Josh may or may not agree.
I made him take the obligatory Mickey ears pic, and I also made him smile.
I didn't quite understand this bunny ear hat.
I think that one is gonna involve some googling.
Disney at Christmas at dusk = the absolute cutest place on earth
Before we left the Magic Kingdom for the night, we opted for another group photo.
Ellie so eloquently kicked her boyfriend out for some of the pictures, in case we wanted to use it for a Christmas card.
It was entertaining to us, but probably awkward to any innocent bystanders.
On the way to dinner at The Contemporary Resort, we stopped by the Grand Floridian for cocktails (accompanied by a cute little jazz band on the balcony).
Although we weren't wearing the matching embroidered t-shirts, we had to stop by the Grand Floridian carriage for a re-enactment of one of our favorite family photos.
Not much has changed since 1995, right?
. . . I'm fairly certain at least the carriage is still the same.
Dinner at the California Grill (plus watching the fireworks over Magic Kingdom from the rooftop) was the perfect way to finish the day.
. . . and yet, we enjoyed another precious dessert for the books:
The Sundae Plate
caramel corn sundae, a coke float, and strawberry basil sundae
Another plus of going to Disney as an adult is being able to drink your way around the world at Epcot.
. . . more on that coming soon in part three!
(To catch up on the first part of our Disney trip go here)
1 comment:
I'm taking my husband to Disney (his first time!) as a surprise Christmas gift. I remembered that you and your family went last year, and it's been really helpful looking over your Disney posts to get ideas. :)
Post a Comment