The Disney Experience:
We had talked of getting up at 6am, well at least me, to exercise and the run. Our goal was to leave the house at 7:30am destined for Disney World. But I didn’t get up until 6:38am. I quickly made some coffee, finished my exercises, and then woke Mindy. I didn’t leave for a run until almost 7:10am. She told me to not worry about the time since we are on vacation and have no ‘real’ schedule. I took her advice.
The run was very pleasant given the earliness. The sun was just rising above the horizon and the houses. The humidity hadn’t yet kicked in which made for a more than beautiful morning.
By the time I returned breakfast was ready. We were having scrambled eggs and maple bacon. We took our time once again figuring that we wouldn’t be there before the parks opening anyhow. But according to the webpages about Disney, it’s not uncommon to wait in an hour long line to get admission tickets and that’s after parking. We were just a bit concerned but decided to not allow that to sway our schedule. We just left when we were ready.
We hit the road at 9:00am destined for Buena Vista, Florida – Disney World. The trip was mapped out to be 97 miles via RT 54, I-75, and I-4. The highway was almost perfect and the traffic light. We made excellent time. Even after making a stop at a rest area, we made it to Disney by 11:00am. After parking in Minnie Mouse 43 we proceeded to the shuttle. The shuttle took us to the Disney Transportation & Ticket Station. There we purchased our admission - $245. From there we jumped on the monorail and headed for the Magic Kingdom. The time from parking until we were in the park was less than 30 minutes, and that was after the shuttle, buying tickets, riding the monorail and entering through the gates. Not bad at all! There were no waits at any stage thus far.
Our first stop was the castle where we witnessed the coronation of Cinderella as Princess – very tacky. The kids loved it, however. The sun was heating up and sweat began pouring off of all each of us. We moved on to the first attraction – Swiss Family Robinson Tree House. It might just be the largest artificial plant in the world. From there we moved on to ride the Pirates of the Caribbean. Sorry – under construction. Is this how the day will go? Hmmmm.
From there we moved over to the Magic Carpet. Mindy and the kids rode, I did not. I wasn’t ready to puke so soon. Next we moved on to Frontier land where we found Splash Mountain. The line was long so Mindy Fast Passed it. That assured us a trip to the front of the line between 3:45 & 4:45pm. It was only 1 something. To not bore readers, we moved on to the haunted Mansion, lunch, the Dumbo ride, the Carrousel, Small World, and then back to Splash Mountain. Bella wasn’t tall enough to ride so I took Jacob. After we finished, Mindy rode with him again.
The kids were remarkably well behaved and only asked to leave a couple of times. Bella for being only three was being a surprisingly good walker. She never did ask to be carried, but Jacob did. That was a big – NO!
From there we moved to Tomorrow Land where Space Mountain, Buzz Light Year, and the Lito & Stitch Ride reside. We rode the Buzz but no others. Lines were long and not worth the while. About now I was ready to go home and drink a beer or three. I had not more Disney fun left in the tank. The kids had said they wanted to leave too, but after buying their souvenirs, they wanted to stay for the parade. How could I veto that? After all, this is their day. That didn’t mean I was excited or happy. While Mindy and the kids gathered at the parades beginning area 9 beginning of Main St.) I wandered the are checking out exhibits on my own. I checked out a photographic exhibit that held all sorts of historic pieces in the life of photography as well as some of the first ever Disney cartoons. I saw Steamboat Willie – the first Disney animation with sound. Then Trees and Flowers, the first Disney cartoon in color. Cool!
I found my way back to the kids and Mindy. The parade was just about to begin – Thank heaven! The parade was fascinating I must admit. And Main Street was lit up beautifully. The castle at its end was changing hues every few minutes from pink to blue. By 9:30pm the parade was over. I asked Mindy if she wanted to stay for the fireworks. She did not. Again – than k heaven. To our car! First the monorail, then the shuttle, and finally our car at long last! The traffic out was almost non-existent. We were out and home before midnight. What a long day. Once we arrived home and got the kids to bed, I went out on the patio for two Sam Adams. I was craving them both. We didn’t go to bed until almost 1am. Tired!
Disney Happy Meter :
Ease of Access: easier than expected 9
Cost: expensive 4
Food: better and cheaper than expected 6
Entertainment Value: If it wasn’t for the parade and Disney mystique it would have been a 1, but because it was Disney I’ll give it a 5
Weather: Hot – 10
Arriving back home: Priceless
The Disney Experience:
We had talked of getting up at 6am, well at least me, to exercise and the run. Our goal was to leave the house at 7:30am destined for Disney World. But I didn’t get up until 6:38am. I quickly made some coffee, finished my exercises, and then woke Mindy. I didn’t leave for a run until almost 7:10am. She told me to not worry about the time since we are on vacation and have no ‘real’ schedule. I took her advice.
The run was very pleasant given the earliness. The sun was just rising above the horizon and the houses. The humidity hadn’t yet kicked in which made for a more than beautiful morning.
By the time I returned breakfast was ready. We were having scrambled eggs and maple bacon. We took our time once again figuring that we wouldn’t be there before the parks opening anyhow. But according to the webpages about Disney, it’s not uncommon to wait in an hour long line to get admission tickets and that’s after parking. We were just a bit concerned but decided to not allow that to sway our schedule. We just left when we were ready.
We hit the road at 9:00am destined for Buena Vista, Florida – Disney World. The trip was mapped out to be 97 miles via RT 54, I-75, and I-4. The highway was almost perfect and the traffic light. We made excellent time. Even after making a stop at a rest area, we made it to Disney by 11:00am. After parking in Minnie Mouse 43 we proceeded to the shuttle. The shuttle took us to the Disney Transportation & Ticket Station. There we purchased our admission - $245. From there we jumped on the monorail and headed for the Magic Kingdom. The time from parking until we were in the park was less than 30 minutes, and that was after the shuttle, buying tickets, riding the monorail and entering through the gates. Not bad at all! There were no waits at any stage thus far.
Our first stop was the castle where we witnessed the coronation of Cinderella as Princess – very tacky. The kids loved it, however. The sun was heating up and sweat began pouring off of all each of us. We moved on to the first attraction – Swiss Family Robinson Tree House. It might just be the largest artificial plant in the world. From there we moved on to ride the Pirates of the Caribbean. Sorry – under construction. Is this how the day will go? Hmmmm.
From there we moved over to the Magic Carpet. Mindy and the kids rode, I did not. I wasn’t ready to puke so soon. Next we moved on to Frontier land where we found Splash Mountain. The line was long so Mindy Fast Passed it. That assured us a trip to the front of the line between 3:45 & 4:45pm. It was only 1 something. To not bore readers, we moved on to the haunted Mansion, lunch, the Dumbo ride, the Carrousel, Small World, and then back to Splash Mountain. Bella wasn’t tall enough to ride so I took Jacob. After we finished, Mindy rode with him again.
The kids were remarkably well behaved and only asked to leave a couple of times. Bella for being only three was being a surprisingly good walker. She never did ask to be carried, but Jacob did. That was a big – NO!
From there we moved to Tomorrow Land where Space Mountain, Buzz Light Year, and the Lito & Stitch Ride reside. We rode the Buzz but no others. Lines were long and not worth the while. About now I was ready to go home and drink a beer or three. I had not more Disney fun left in the tank. The kids had said they wanted to leave too, but after buying their souvenirs, they wanted to stay for the parade. How could I veto that? After all, this is their day. That didn’t mean I was excited or happy. While Mindy and the kids gathered at the parades beginning area 9 beginning of Main St.) I wandered the are checking out exhibits on my own. I checked out a photographic exhibit that held all sorts of historic pieces in the life of photography as well as some of the first ever Disney cartoons. I saw Steamboat Willie – the first Disney animation with sound. Then Trees and Flowers, the first Disney cartoon in color. Cool!
I found my way back to the kids and Mindy. The parade was just about to begin – Thank heaven! The parade was fascinating I must admit. And Main Street was lit up beautifully. The castle at its end was changing hues every few minutes from pink to blue. By 9:30pm the parade was over. I asked Mindy if she wanted to stay for the fireworks. She did not. Again – than k heaven. To our car! First the monorail, then the shuttle, and finally our car at long last! The traffic out was almost non-existent. We were out and home before midnight. What a long day. Once we arrived home and got the kids to bed, I went out on the patio for two Sam Adams. I was craving them both. We didn’t go to bed until almost 1am. Tired!
Disney Happy Meter :
Ease of Access: easier than expected 9
Cost: expensive 4
Food: better and cheaper than expected 6
Entertainment Value: If it wasn’t for the parade and Disney mystique it would have been a 1, but because it was Disney I’ll give it a 5
Weather: Hot – 10
Arriving back home: Priceless
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