One year ago, my mom met us at Disney World for George's pediatric conference. That write up is here, and the four of us had such a great time that we booked tickets the moment we heard about another conference this summer.
George, Drakeson, and I arrived at the BoardWalk Inn some time in the afternoon and had sandwiches at the BoardWalk Bakery before riding the water slide at Luna Park Pool. Due to a cold-related lung infection that had progressed throughout the day, Drakeson was beginning to suffer from a pretty severe asthma attack. He calmed down enough to fall asleep in the stroller while George and I took a long walk around the neighboring resorts, ate over a pint of ice cream each at Seashore Sweets', and caught a live juggling show. Once the little one woke up, we watched part of "The Emperor's New Groove" on the lawn and came back to the room to rest. Drakeson began to panic as his asthma worsened, but he calmed down once we found the rest of the movie on Netflix and cuddled up together in the cool, clean sheets. Hearing him suffer made for a heartbreaking evening, but it was not without its tender moments.
Luna Park Pool
To our relief, Drakeson's asthma improved in the morning and disappeared for the remainder of the trip. Mom had arrived in the middle of the night. The two of us took Drakeson to Animal Kingdom when it opened, and went straight to the dinosaur section. Drakeson and I rode TriceraTop Spin while Mom rode Primeval Whirl, but Drakeson refused to go back onto the ride until we met up again. I think he was worried that we had lost each other, because once she returned, he very happily rode TriceraTop Spin with both of us. On our way to find animals, Mom caught the roller coaster Expedition Everest with no wait, and then the three of us walked through the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. Drakeson couldn't have been happier spotting animals, especially the big gorillas and colorful fish, and once we took the Wildlife Express Train to the Affection Section, he could have brushed the goats all morning. Needing some relief from the heat, we watched the 3D movie, It's Tough to be a Bug!, which plays in a theater directly underneath an incredible sculpture called the Tree of Life. It's worth mention that this sculpture is 145 feet tall, 50 feet wide, contains 325 carved animals on its trunk, and holds 8,000 branches. It's pictured below.
At this point, George met up with us, and we stuffed packages of firm tofu underneath Drakeson's heels so he would be tall enough to qualify for the Kali River Rapids. It barely worked, and I was more thrilled with our success than the ride itself. We watched the live show, Finding Nemo - The Musical, before heading home for naps. I had remembered that Drakeson loved it last year, and he loved it even more this year. It was a show in itself to see him smile and clap with big, bright eyes after each song. Once we returned to the Animal Kingdom, there was no time to lose. We rode Kilimanjaro Safaris with stunning views of elephants, zebras, giraffes, lions, crocodiles, rhinos, ostriches, and hippos among many other gorgeous animals. George and Mom returned to Expedition Everest while I took Drakeson to see Mickey and Minnie at Meet Favorite Disney Pals. Last year, the last thing I would have wanted to do was wait around to get pictures with "Disney Pals," but this year couldn't have been more different. Drakeson was so excited to see Mickey and Minnie that this was one of the highlights of the entire day. In fact, George regretted using his fastpass for the rollercoaster. During the bird show, Flights of Wonder, George was one of two volunteers to be called onto stage, and during the Festival of the Lion King, which is a pretty significant musical production, Drakeson was one of a handful of children who were chosen to walk in the parade around the stage. It was a lucky day. And speaking of luck, between the shows, we returned to the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail and caught a close up underwater view of a swimming hippo.
Dinner was at our favorite restaurant both last year and this year, and we had the same charming server, Ron. Jiko is an upscale African restaurant at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, and everything is cooked perfectly. From the luxury and comfort of fine dining, we launched ourselves into the crowds and chaos at the Magic Kingdom to watch the famous Main Street Electrical Parade, the production Star Light, Star Bright which uses the iconic Cinderella Castle as a screen for a very imaginative projection show, and finally, the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular Fireworks. We were all exhausted by this point, but rather than leave with the thousands of people swarming to the bus stations, we took advantage of the dark and rode the Haunted Mansion. Drakeson thought it was scary, but not too scary.
Together Again for TriceraTop Spin
Tree of Life
Affection Section
Too Busy for Pictures
Kilimanjaro Safaris
They're probably all making that face.
Hippo at Pangani Forest Exploration Trail
Leading the parade at The Lion King!
Pete's Dragon at the Magic Kingdom
Thursday, 16 Jul 15: Magic Kingdom
Mom, Drakeson, and I started off at the Magic Kingdom with the classic It's a Small World and the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel. Now that we were warmed up, we put tofu into Drakeson's shoes again and attempted the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. I don't know if it was because George wasn't there to hold Drakeson tall, if the tofu slipped into the arch of his feet, or if the measurement was slightly higher than the one for Kali River Rapids from the day before, but we failed. I was disappointed until I realized that it was probably a little much for Drakeson this year anyway.
During the next ride, Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid, Drakeson and I decided we would have a Little Mermaid birthday party for him in January. It was a good talk. Next, Drakeson went on his very first roller coaster, The Barnstormer. He seemed fairly uncomfortable during the ride, but still told me it was fun afterwards. When I asked if he wanted to ride it again, he said, "nooooo, just later." It was actually more like, "nooooooooow, juss yaayydrrr." So then we cooled off at the Casey Jr. Splash 'N' Soak Station and Drakeson spun us around during the Mad Tea Party. Both Mom and I strongly preferred Drakeson's spinning to George's from last year. A rainstorm broke out while we rode The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, which features its own rainstorm. Once the crowds from the changing weather cleared a little, I decided that it was "just later," so we went back to The Barnstormer and Drakeson rode with Mom. George joined us for one of my favorites, Peter Pan's Flight, and the 3D show, Mickey's PhilharMagic. By this time, Mom and I were exhausted. The bus that would take us back wasn't at the station, and in a moment of weakness, Mom and I agreed to George's plan of taking the monorails to Epcot. It took much longer and required more walking than the bus route, but since we were passing through Epcot anyway, I downed 16 ounces of free soda at Club Cool. George said it was like my glucose test all over again, which happened on Monday. I thought that was pretty funny.
After a very long nap, we were ready for more. Back at the Magic Kingdom, Drakeson the boss drove at the Tomorrowland Speedway with no more skill than he had last year. We stopped at the improv show Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, and then shot lasers at Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. Last year I shot the lasers pretty well, but George just about doubled my score this time. Oh, well. Since George hadn't made it to any of the cute baby rides from the morning, we returned to Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and It's a Small World before squeezing in the show Country Bear Jamboree. From there, we took a ferryboat to dinner at Narcoossee's, which is a pretty fancy seafood restaurant on a pier at the Grand Floridian Resort. It provides a beautiful view of the Electrical Water Pageant and the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular Fireworks, which we had seen close up the night before. Both George and I ordered the same dishes from last year, and George wanted me to note that I should order the scallops again next time, and he should not order the tuna.
Mom, Drakeson, and I started off at the Magic Kingdom with the classic It's a Small World and the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel. Now that we were warmed up, we put tofu into Drakeson's shoes again and attempted the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. I don't know if it was because George wasn't there to hold Drakeson tall, if the tofu slipped into the arch of his feet, or if the measurement was slightly higher than the one for Kali River Rapids from the day before, but we failed. I was disappointed until I realized that it was probably a little much for Drakeson this year anyway.
During the next ride, Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid, Drakeson and I decided we would have a Little Mermaid birthday party for him in January. It was a good talk. Next, Drakeson went on his very first roller coaster, The Barnstormer. He seemed fairly uncomfortable during the ride, but still told me it was fun afterwards. When I asked if he wanted to ride it again, he said, "nooooo, just later." It was actually more like, "nooooooooow, juss yaayydrrr." So then we cooled off at the Casey Jr. Splash 'N' Soak Station and Drakeson spun us around during the Mad Tea Party. Both Mom and I strongly preferred Drakeson's spinning to George's from last year. A rainstorm broke out while we rode The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, which features its own rainstorm. Once the crowds from the changing weather cleared a little, I decided that it was "just later," so we went back to The Barnstormer and Drakeson rode with Mom. George joined us for one of my favorites, Peter Pan's Flight, and the 3D show, Mickey's PhilharMagic. By this time, Mom and I were exhausted. The bus that would take us back wasn't at the station, and in a moment of weakness, Mom and I agreed to George's plan of taking the monorails to Epcot. It took much longer and required more walking than the bus route, but since we were passing through Epcot anyway, I downed 16 ounces of free soda at Club Cool. George said it was like my glucose test all over again, which happened on Monday. I thought that was pretty funny.
After a very long nap, we were ready for more. Back at the Magic Kingdom, Drakeson the boss drove at the Tomorrowland Speedway with no more skill than he had last year. We stopped at the improv show Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, and then shot lasers at Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. Last year I shot the lasers pretty well, but George just about doubled my score this time. Oh, well. Since George hadn't made it to any of the cute baby rides from the morning, we returned to Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and It's a Small World before squeezing in the show Country Bear Jamboree. From there, we took a ferryboat to dinner at Narcoossee's, which is a pretty fancy seafood restaurant on a pier at the Grand Floridian Resort. It provides a beautiful view of the Electrical Water Pageant and the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular Fireworks, which we had seen close up the night before. Both George and I ordered the same dishes from last year, and George wanted me to note that I should order the scallops again next time, and he should not order the tuna.
Mom's Artsy Photo in "It's a Small World"
Moments Before Drakeson's First Rollercoaster, The Barnstormer
Cooling Off with Mama
Barnstormer Again
One of us isn't taking this seriously enough.
If you look closely, you can see the driver's Mickey ears.
Bà and NCR at the Jamboree
Friday, 17 Jul 15: Epcot
Epcot day was a little more laid back because we needed it to be. Drakeson, Mom, and I slept in, and George was out of his conference by 9:30. We leisurely walked to the park together and wasted no time in riding the famous Spaceship Earth. Next, we travelled to Mexico and rode the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Calballeros. Drakeson, stubbornly independent, had chosen not to sit on anybody's lap. After the ride was over, he asked to ride again on Daddy's lap so he could see, and he continued to sit on laps for the rest of the day. Next, we rode The Seas with Nemo & Friends and walked through the aquarium, which contained several types of fish including stingrays, dolphins, and small sharks. Needless to say, Drakeson was mesmerized. Living with the Land, a tour through several impressive greenhouses that grow a significant amount of food for the Disney restaurants, was clearly one of George's favorite rides. We watched a short film about the conservation of our planet, The Circle of Life, before riding Journey Into Imagination With Figment, which stars Figment the dragon. Starting to wind down, we had more soda at Club Cool, did a little shopping at Mouse Gear, and took pictures with Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy at Meet Disney Pals. We were on our way to the room when we came across Chip & Dale, who proved to be Drakeson's favorite characters. Once we arrived back at the BoardWalk, Drakeson fought off his nap and ran around on the lawn with his cousins Aiden, Andrew, and Hadley instead. Since he was up anyway, we took another swim at Luna Park Pool and threw him down the slide a few more times. He was close to exhausted by the time we returned to Epcot. We rode Living with the Land again so George could videotape the greenhouses and saw the movie, Impressions de France, before a large buffet in Germany at the Biergarten. The food and two beer flights were good, but the German band really made the experience memorable. Mom, George, and I agreed that this was one of the few places in Disney World my dad would love. We stopped at a gift shop for George to buy a pin, which he gave to the cashier. In 1988, he had stolen a German hat pin from the same area, and had felt guilty ever since. Unexpectedly, the cashier traded our pin for one of Figment the dragon in a red heart. It was not unlike the end of "The Wizard of Oz," where George had longed for redemption, and had traveled to see the wizard to earn his dragon heart.
The Epcot fireworks, IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, is my favorite of all the fireworks shows. Torches of flame encircle the central waters, and a powerful laser show and floating globe add to the spectacle of fireworks and music. Although we were ready for bed, there was an extra magic hour at Epcot that night, so we took advantage of it with a viewing of The American Adventure. Drakeson held my hand for the first 20 minutes, and then crawled into my lap and cuddled up like a little baby to fall asleep. It was better than the fireworks.
Epcot day was a little more laid back because we needed it to be. Drakeson, Mom, and I slept in, and George was out of his conference by 9:30. We leisurely walked to the park together and wasted no time in riding the famous Spaceship Earth. Next, we travelled to Mexico and rode the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Calballeros. Drakeson, stubbornly independent, had chosen not to sit on anybody's lap. After the ride was over, he asked to ride again on Daddy's lap so he could see, and he continued to sit on laps for the rest of the day. Next, we rode The Seas with Nemo & Friends and walked through the aquarium, which contained several types of fish including stingrays, dolphins, and small sharks. Needless to say, Drakeson was mesmerized. Living with the Land, a tour through several impressive greenhouses that grow a significant amount of food for the Disney restaurants, was clearly one of George's favorite rides. We watched a short film about the conservation of our planet, The Circle of Life, before riding Journey Into Imagination With Figment, which stars Figment the dragon. Starting to wind down, we had more soda at Club Cool, did a little shopping at Mouse Gear, and took pictures with Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy at Meet Disney Pals. We were on our way to the room when we came across Chip & Dale, who proved to be Drakeson's favorite characters. Once we arrived back at the BoardWalk, Drakeson fought off his nap and ran around on the lawn with his cousins Aiden, Andrew, and Hadley instead. Since he was up anyway, we took another swim at Luna Park Pool and threw him down the slide a few more times. He was close to exhausted by the time we returned to Epcot. We rode Living with the Land again so George could videotape the greenhouses and saw the movie, Impressions de France, before a large buffet in Germany at the Biergarten. The food and two beer flights were good, but the German band really made the experience memorable. Mom, George, and I agreed that this was one of the few places in Disney World my dad would love. We stopped at a gift shop for George to buy a pin, which he gave to the cashier. In 1988, he had stolen a German hat pin from the same area, and had felt guilty ever since. Unexpectedly, the cashier traded our pin for one of Figment the dragon in a red heart. It was not unlike the end of "The Wizard of Oz," where George had longed for redemption, and had traveled to see the wizard to earn his dragon heart.
The Epcot fireworks, IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, is my favorite of all the fireworks shows. Torches of flame encircle the central waters, and a powerful laser show and floating globe add to the spectacle of fireworks and music. Although we were ready for bed, there was an extra magic hour at Epcot that night, so we took advantage of it with a viewing of The American Adventure. Drakeson held my hand for the first 20 minutes, and then crawled into my lap and cuddled up like a little baby to fall asleep. It was better than the fireworks.
Catching Water at Epcot
We're in a Cartoon!
Cô Tins, Drakeson, Mommy
Too Much Fun for Biergarten
Saturday, 18 Jul 15: Hollywood Studios
We arrived at Hollywood Studios with Warren's family a good 15 minutes before it opened to try to get the cousins onto Toy Story Midway Mania! without a fastpass. Unfortunately, the ride was closed due to power issues. Mom and George rode The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror twice and the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith while Drakeson and I played on the playground, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure. Warren's family and ours watched Muppet Vision 3D before splitting off until the evening. Next, Mom and I took turns with George in riding Star Tours - The Adventures Continue and holding Drakeson while he watched the Jedi Training Academy next door. The ride is a 3D motion simulated "flight" in which Darth Vader is searching for a spy in the riders. I think a spotlight beamed onto me, and my picture was projected as the spy. I was actually paying so little attention at that moment, I can't be sure whether or not I was the spy. Anyway, when the Jedi Training Academy ended, all four of us saw Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show, and I was blown away by the car choreography. Explosions and motors are hardly my thing, but this was impressive. Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage was the next production, followed by the smaller show, Voyage of The Little Mermaid. Both had live singers, but Ariel clearly outshone Belle and Gaston this year. I recall that it was the other way around last year. By this time, Drakeson was overdue for his nap, but we still had nearly an hour before our fastpass to Toy Story Midway Mania!, which is the biggest kid attraction in the park. Once Drakeson spotted Chip and Dale at Meet Disney Pals, he brightened up a little, and we were very lucky to be the last people allowed to meet them for that session. We paid a visit to Mickey in his Sorcerer's Apprentice costume, and needing some air conditioning, we walked into the exhibit, Walt Disney: One Man's Dream. There, we watched a documentary on Walt Disney, which proved to be my favorite movie from the entire trip. At last, we rode Toy Story Midway Mania!, which was definitely worth the wait. It's an electronic arcade ride that's a lot more fun to play than I can really explain. We crashed for a very long nap. Mom and I woke up a few minutes before we needed to start heading back, so we rode the Luna Park Pool slide twice, and she lost an earring. She was very sad, because her sister had given her that pair of earrings.
Without much time to lose, we walked back to Hollywood Studios to catch The Great Movie Ride before dinner at Hollywood & Vine. Dinner was okay, and we had made reservations there in order to purchase a package deal with VIP tickets to the spectacular show, Fantasmic!. All in all, Hollywood Studios has less to offer than the other parks, but this show evens the playing field by quite a bit. Warren's family met us outside the VIP line, and we had excellent seats together. All four children were captivated for the half hour of music, stunts, boat parades, lighting, fire, costumes, waterworks, and special effects that help to create the show. It was the biggest and best way to end our visits at the parks, and the cake was iced with the Frozen Fireworks Spectacular. Because we had all slept in so late that afternoon, we stayed up for our last swim at Luna Park Pool, and spent most of the time riding the slide and looking for Mom's earring. With no luck, we headed to bed at 23:00, and found the missing earring on our bathroom floor.
Climbing
Climbing
Climbing
Sweet Cousins
Cô Tins & Mommy Again!
Magic & Hugs
Lightsaber from Uncle Dub & Aunt Christy
Saturday, 19 Jul 15: Typhoon Lagoon
Our bus to reality left at 12:15, so we had the morning for my favorite destination in all of Disney World: Typhoon Lagoon. Our water park day also happened to coincide with Drakeson's 2.5-year-old birthday, which was sweet.
Our first destination was not unlike the slide at Luna Park Pool, which Drakeson had ridden about 10 times, and it was called Storm Slides. We upped the ante and played in their main attraction, the Typhoon Lagoon Surf Pool, but that was a bit much. Drakeson went on a little slide called Bay Slides, and then two inner tube slides called Keelhaul Falls and Mayday Falls. As a family, we all rode down Gangplank Falls before taking the lazy river, Castaway Creek, back to the changing area. We made it back to the BoardWalk in time for lunch at the microbrewery Big River Grille & Brewing Works. Before we left the restaurant, however, I took Drakeson to the restroom. The moment we entered, he told me that he had to go by himself, walked into a stall, locked me out, pulled down his pants, and peed. I had never been locked out before, but he handled it very well. He flushed, unlocked the door, and came out to wash his hands. The only step he had forgotten was pulling up his pants and underwear. It was a very, very good try.
Our first destination was not unlike the slide at Luna Park Pool, which Drakeson had ridden about 10 times, and it was called Storm Slides. We upped the ante and played in their main attraction, the Typhoon Lagoon Surf Pool, but that was a bit much. Drakeson went on a little slide called Bay Slides, and then two inner tube slides called Keelhaul Falls and Mayday Falls. As a family, we all rode down Gangplank Falls before taking the lazy river, Castaway Creek, back to the changing area. We made it back to the BoardWalk in time for lunch at the microbrewery Big River Grille & Brewing Works. Before we left the restaurant, however, I took Drakeson to the restroom. The moment we entered, he told me that he had to go by himself, walked into a stall, locked me out, pulled down his pants, and peed. I had never been locked out before, but he handled it very well. He flushed, unlocked the door, and came out to wash his hands. The only step he had forgotten was pulling up his pants and underwear. It was a very, very good try.
Dadas' First Time at Typhoon Lagoon
Waterbugs
In closing, this trip was both similar and different to last year's. In a way, it was less sensational because we knew what we were getting into, and we had seen most of the attractions before. On the other hand, it was more exciting because Drakeson could ride more rides including the baby rollercoaster "Barnstormer," go down more water slides at Typhoon Lagoon, and understand much more about the shows we saw. He wore his 3D glasses through every 3D show and jumped at the movie effects. He clapped after the songs we heard and announced, "That was fun" after every ride. Meeting the characters was a highlight for him, and therefore, for us as well. Both trips were equally exhausting, and of course, my energetic mom was a perfect companion for our tightly packed schedule. Seeing "Fantasmic" with Warren's family and giving the cousins hugs and kisses was a very special way to end the trip.
George has already heard that this conference is scheduled again for next year, and my mom has the dates in the calendar. We'll see if it happens next July. If all goes as planned, a 9-month-old will have joined the party.
