It was our fifth year at Disney World and our second time staying at the magnificent Grand Floridian. Joining our usual crew was our good friend and neighbor Vivi for a party of six. We started our vacation the day we arrived with the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show. Although it comes with fairly poor reviews, we thoroughly enjoyed the feast and were well entertained by the muscular cast and gorgeous fire dancer. I'm pretty sure I ate my weight in coconut rice, ribs, and beer as I admired a plethora of bulging quads.
It was our only chance to play in the Grand Floridian Beach Pool, and there went most of the evening. Little Milli, more confident in the water than ever before, wanted to go down the slide with nobody at the bottom to catch her. (We did not abide, as this would have resulted in certain death.) The Electrical Water Pageant drew our attention from the poolside, and we stayed outside our room to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks show Happily Ever After from across the Seven Seas Lagoon. The kids finished the outdoor showing of "The Little Mermaid," and it was time to rest up for our first big park day.
Outside the Polynesian Village Resort
Inside the Polynesian Village Resort
Fire Dancer
After Spirit of Aloha
The Grand Floridian & Seven Seas Lagoon
Waterslide Kids
Wednesday, 25 Jul 18: Magic Kingdom
We've never arrived at the Magic Kingdom early enough to see the 5 minute show Let the Magic Begin until this year. I loved it, but then again, the dopamine was already going strong after an early morning stroll down the ever so polished Main Street. Main Street of course leads to the perfectly balanced array of turrets that is Cinderella's Castle, and it's such a magnificent centerpiece that a show there would have to be pretty bad for me to take notice.
We wasted no time running to Peter Pan's Flight, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Meet Ariel at her Grotto, Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid, and Milli's very first rollercoaster, Barnstormer. Milli had the good fortune to ride "the Goofy ride" twice in a row.
Because of the rider share program and Milli's height, we were able to split up the group and multiply our fastpasses at every park without a hitch. As a result, we hopped on Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Splash Mountain, where Milli played at The Laughin'Place. In the midst of the big rides, I took the kids to see The Carousel of Progress, and Milli waved at the animatronic dog for most of the show. We got rained on, and rained on hard during Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Our family has a tradition of buying a souvenir from Hundred Acre Goods, and this year, Vivi bought us the fourth and final round fuzz plush in the set, Piglet. I tend to shy away from impractical materialistic clutter, but this Piglet is adorable. It was time for Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, and as usual, George's score outshone mine by one to two decimal points. Hopeless. I promptly left my phone in the ride, and once I returned, the cast member told me to give her 4 minutes. To my amazement, she produced it in 2 to 3.
George has always wanted to see The Muppets Present...Great Moments in American History, and it finally happened! The show was a very good advertisement for The Hall of Presidents, but we're all a little too patriotic to ruin our vacation seeing Donald Trump's ugly face. On our way to naps, we caught the tail end of a performance by the barbershop quartet The Dapper Dans as the train on the Walt Disney World Railroad crossed over our heads and the smell from a carnival popcorn cart passed us by. I turned to George and said, "Whatever it is they do here, they're really good at it."
We had the pleasure of meeting Piglet, Tigger, Pooh, and Eeyore at our buffet dinner at The Crystal Palace. This was Milli's chance to win everyone over, and she did not hesitate. All the characters got hugs and kisses, and her big brother had no choice but to follow suit. We spent the early evening at Mickey’s Philharmagic, Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover, and Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor before our final fastpass for Seven Dwarves Mine Train. At this point, Milli unsurprisingly led us back to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid. Vivi loves Jungle Cruise, and we caught The Magic Carpets of Aladdin while we were in the area. I happen to hate Jungle Cruise because I don't laugh easily, and it's like being at a seven minute stand-up show on amateur night with only 24 people in the audience. As luck would have it, I ended up being seated right next to the guide. Great.
I took Milli back to the Goofy ride, Barnstormer, while George took Drakeson to his favorite ride, Tomorrowland Speedway. They lucked out with a bad car the first time around and got to go twice! Both kids couldn't have ended the night any better. For our last hurrah, the whole group met on top of Tomorrowland for a ride on Astro Orbiter after midnight.
Cabege Patch Kids
Pooh Veggies
Pooh Spin
Ariel
The Muppets
Vivi
Mama
Three Little Pigs
Piglet
Tigger
Pooh
Eeyore
The Crystal Palace
Loving Disney
Loving Disney Too
Magic Kingdom 2018
The plan was to catch Test Track at the beginning of the magic hour, but between two monorails and all the bag inspections, we arrived a little late. Due to the long commute and Epcot's early closing, we decided to do something crazy and skipped naps at a Disney park for the first time ever.
The morning was spent at Spaceship Earth, The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Turtle Talk with Crush, SeaBase, and the Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival. After viewing "Get a Horse!," "Piper," and "Feast," Mom said she didn't remember the last two shorts. Arrogantly, George and I assured her that we saw them together two years ago, but I later found out that she was right! Last year was the first year they had replaced "La Luna" and "For the Birds."
Although SeaBase is one of our favorite places in Epcot, we had never made it to Turtle Talk with Crush before, and we'll make a point of going again. The California surfer dude accent is annoying as hell, but hearing some guy improvise in that voice while teaching kids facts about sea turtles is somehow entertaining. Bà spoiled the little ones with sugary drinks while George and I saw the new movie "Soarin' Around the World" on Soarin’, which is clearly one of Epcot's highlights. Drakeson, Vivi, and Bà were up next while George and I took the pumpkin on Living with the Land. The last time Drakeson had been on a ride like that was "Wings Over Washington" a year and a half ago. He was terrified then, and I was surprised to hear that he handled Soarin’ pretty well.
Throughout the years, we've always managed to miss out on Mission Space. Mission Space has a gentle simulation ride, Earth, and a dizzying simulation ride, Mars. We rode Mars first, and it made us all sick. Vivi and I rode it twice just to collect more regrets.
The afternoon started with a photoshoot at Meet Disney Pals at the Epcot Character Spot, George's favorite ride, Living with the Land, and nobody's favorite ride, Journey into Imagination with Figment. We meant to let the kids play games in ImageWorks - The "What If" Labs, but there wasn't much time before our dinner plans, and we still hadn't given Mission Space Earth a try. George wanted nothing to do with it, but Drakeson ended up loving it so much that he wanted to go back for the rest of the evening. After very short stops for soda at Club Cool and browsing at Mouse Gear, we booked it to The World Showcase and got entirely soaked. Again. For two out of two days, we had gotten stuck in cold undies and sloshy socks. I gave up on trying to be comfortable and enjoyed the temperature instead.
Norway was home to the ride Frozen Ever After and our second character buffet at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall. George wanted me to make a note of gjetost cheese, which was new to all of us. It's sweet, dark, thick, rich, and unlike anything we've tried. Of course Milli hugged Belle, Aurora, Snow White, and Cinderella, but she was pretty obviously focused on Ariel. Drakeson might have had eyes for all of them.
The rain had stopped, and we went to Meet Pluto near World Showcase Plaza. Starting our loop around the World Showcase Lagoon, we rode Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros in Mexico and stopped in China for Reflections of China as well as a live performance by the Jeweled Dragon Acrobats. I had always wanted to see their show and never known where it was! We squeezed in Impressions de France and settled in our new fastpass location for my favorite fireworks show, Illuminations. Although it wasn't yet 10, everyone was ready to change clothes and snuggle under the warm dry covers.
SeaBase
Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival
Mickey
Goofy
Minnie
Mission Space
Ariel
Waiting for Pluto
Pluto
Mom & Vivi
The World Showcase
Hugs
Mama Still Loves Trolls
Mama
Dadas
Epcot 2018
Friday, 27 Jul 18: Hollywood Studios
We learned from our mistakes and caught the 6:15 bus to Hollywood Studios. In the first hour at the park, we arrived at the beautiful new Toy Story Land, rode the newly relocated Toy Story Mania twice, and hopped on Alien Swirling Saucers. The adults used a fastpass for my favorite ride, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, and then we gathered together for the 1991 classic, Muppet*Vision 3D. Although it had already been done, we used our fastpass for another ride on Alien Swirling Saucers, and Milli didn't mind one bit. We snuck in Mom's favorite ride, The Tower of Terror, between live performances of Voyage of the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage. Gaston had no fake muscles this year, nor he did not need them; what a hunk! At this point, everyone was getting tired, and the ladies headed back for naps after Star Tours. Mom bought everybody ponchos at Tatooine Traders so we wouldn't get soaked for the third day in a row, and it didn't rain.
George and Drakeson stayed just long enough to complete Drakeson's second year of Jedi Training Trials of the Temple. When they arrived back for naps, Milli was running around, and someone had opened a bottle of Deep Eddy grapefruit vodka for the ladies. The rest is a blur. Somehow we made it back to the park for dinner at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant, and it would have been a better restaurant if the room hadn't been spinning. In all seriousness, I will forever be grateful for that pimento cheese burger with bacon, because it wasn't until a thousand more calories later that I knew I would see the light of another day.
Not really knowing what we were doing, we caught a movie in the Star Wars Launch Bay Theater and got photos with Kylo Ren, BB-8, and Chewbacca. I still don't know why everybody loves Chewie so much, but I'm about to watch all 9 Star Wars movies this year, and maybe I'll find that all the other characters are even worse.
At last, we were able to use the fastpass for the most sought after attraction in the park, Slinky Dog Dash. Milli was still too short for the ride, and it was just heartbreaking. She told me she could ride it because it was like the Goofy ride, and she's not wrong. I can't wait to take her next year. We caught the early showing of Fantasmic and watched Disney Movie Magic and Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular in their entirety for the first time. It was impressive, but I think it will make more sense to me once I know something about Star Wars. Anyway, it was late and we were
Not Riding Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
Muppet Fountain
Taking It All In
Second Year Jedi
The 13:00 Class
Slinky Dog Dash
Kylo Ren
Bo-Bo 8
Chewbacca
Magic Hours
Jedi Training II
Hollywood Studios 2018
Saturday, 28 Jul 18: Animal Kingdom
Knowing the crowds would be swarming Pandora, we made it out on the 7:05 Animal Kingdom bus with Warren and the cousins. There was no wait at Na’vi River Journey that early, so we rode it twice and ditched the crowds for the real star of the show, Kilimanjaro Safaris. After 5 years of that ride, I can finally remember the words "baobab" and "okapi." Two rounds of Kali River Rapids later, we found ourselves in DinoLand where we rode DINOSAUR, Primeval Whirl, a few rounds of TriceraTop Spin, and met up with Goofy. We took the big roller coaster, Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain, and barely had time to catch It’s Tough to be a Bug before our fastpass seating for Festival of the Lion King.
We shortened naps by an hour to catch the last showing of Finding Nemo the Musical, and attended our third character buffet dinner at Tusker House Restaurant. Dinner was perfect. The kids couldn't get enough of Safari Donald, Daisy, Mickey, and Goofy, and we all loved the African inspired fare. Although it was raining on and off, we took a short stroll through Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail. The trail is one of the highlights of the Animal Kingdom for me because one room offers a close up view of a hippo. This year as we entered that room, the water was cloudy from the rainfall, and the hippo was a little off in the distance. I walked up to the glass to try to get a better view, and to my amazement, the hippo started swimming towards us! I was delighted to see it circle around and swim right up to the glass. The entire crowd gathered as the hippo swam by, and we followed it from one side of the room to the other. With everyone's undivided attention, the hippo turned 90 degrees, pressed its butt squarely against the glass, started rocking back and forth, and proceeded with an enormous bowel movement. I was much too shocked to remember that I had wanted a picture.
Moving onwards, it was time to use our most precious fastpass for the long awaited Avatar Flight of Passage. I couldn't believe how beautiful and creative the video was and how thrilling the simulation felt. It was just incredible. Although Milli is several inches away from her first Flight of Passage, she did get a third ride on Na’vi River Journey, and she hugged all the plush direhorses and viperwolves in the giftshop Windtraders. But not the banshees.
Last year's failure in getting good seats for River of Lights ensured success this time around. The projections on the water, much like in Fantasmic, were mesmerizing. As the park started clearing out, we stayed for the Tree of Life Awakenings and a late nighttime ride on Kilimanjaro Safaris. What a show it was! A male lion majestically climbed up to the very top of a high rock and let out a theatrical roar. It was beautiful, and I hope the memory stays with us for a long time.
African Wild Dogs
Wildebeests
Masai Giraffes
African Elephant
Greater Flamingos
Lion
White Rhinos
Kali River Rapids with Cousins
Daisy
Goofy
Expedition Everest
Nap Time
Hangin' in There
Donald
Donald & Dadas
Goofy
Daisy
Mickey
Goofy & Cousins
Daisy & Cousins
Donald & Cousins
Donald & Bà
Donald, It's Never Enough.
Milli & Fishies
Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail
Dadas & Babies
Photographer
Pandora I
Pandora II
Pandora III
Pandora IV
Bà & Drakeson
Rivers of Light
Animal Kingdom 2018
Sunday, 29 Jul 18: Typhoon Lagoon
It was the day of sleeping in and relaxing at the water park. We didn't need ponchos because we'd be wet anyway. Mom brought one to put over the bags just in case of an emergency. We chose Typhoon Lagoon over Blizzard Beach by just a hair, and part of the draw was the new family raft ride, Miss Adventure Falls, which we rode twice. We hadn't realized that it couldn't sit up to 6 people like Teamboat Springs at Blizzard, so we'll have to take that into consideration next year. The other group raft ride, Gangplank Falls, was short and clearly not worth the wait. Hoping some little waterslides would make up for it, we stood in line at Storm Slides for another eternity. Unfortunately, people kept dropping their belongings, and retrieving them held everything up several times. George and I took a few minutes for Humunga Cowabunga, and then we all went to Typhoon Lagoon Surf Pool.
Remembering the trip my sister and I took in 1995, I decided to take Drakeson out as far as we could go. (It is important to note that in 1995, I was 13, and 13 is very different from 5.) I put my little guy in a life jacket, ventured out, and was promptly stopped by the lifeguard on duty. There's a rule against life jackets in the deep end, so I told Drakeson we had to stay back. He had another solution, which was to remove his life jacket and go into the deep end. I disagreed since it seemed dangerous, but then I changed my mind because he's very convincing. I asked George and Vivi to come out with me for moral support, and they did. Drakeson isn't great at treading water, so I told him to float on his back until the big waves came. I figured we'd do one round and come back to safety, but to our surprise, the big wave didn't come.
I have since learned that there is one 6-foot wave every 90 seconds, and this cycle repeats for a full 90 minute period. Afterwards is a 30 minute cycle of constant gentler bobbing waves. I also learned that the gentler bobbing waves in the deep end aren't really gentler at all. In fact, after treading water for 10 minutes with Drakeson and experiencing the "gentler bobbing waves," I started thinking we were going to be in trouble. Drakeson listened to my directions and stayed on his back like a pro until we were back in shallower waters, and then I just had to worry about George and Vivi surviving the sea storm. It wasn't an overreaction; they weren't too comfortable either.
With the trauma behind us, we went for a few long slow laps around the lazy river Castaway Creek. It was Milli's first time enjoying the water too much to ask for breastmilk, and that freed me up to play a little more with Drakeson. Once well rested, we returned to the Typhoon Lagoon Surf Pool to show it what we're made of. Drakeson and I were having the time of our lives at the edge of the deep end, and then it started raining. It seemed like good news at the time - all the people would leave the parks, and we could ride Mayday Falls and Keelhaul Falls with no waiting. After all, we didn't mind the rain, and we had all day. Sitting by the side of the pool, we watched the crowds move as predicted, but the rain didn't stop. We eventually got kicked out of the seating area, and at that point, our one poncho plan didn't really hold up. Our bags and everything in them got soaked. The passports and paperwork in the locker got soaked in the wet bags. And then we just sat there like suckers in the rain.
Eventually we gave up. We had to. In sopping swimsuits and long sleeved rashguards, we froze on not one but two air-conditioned busses and waited in the air-conditioned lobby of Art of Animation for our new Ariel room. A few very hot showers, some time in the covers, and a bottle of wine made everything right again, and Mom treated us all to Todd English's Bluezoo in the Dolphin Hotel. Next door at the Boardwalk, we saw Coney Island Chris' hilarious street show, and Vivi treated everyone to ice cream at Beaches & Cream Soda Shop. We had to go through Disney Springs to get back to the hotel, and we didn't arrive back to our rooms until past midnight. That wasn't the plan.
Monday, 30 Jul 18: Art of Animation
We slept and slept and slept. What was left of the morning was spent admiring our Little Mermaid surroundings, swimming at Flippin' Fins Pool, stopping by The Big Blue Pool, and sharing a few cupcakes at the ridiculously overpriced Landscape of Flavors. Check out the amazing decor.
It would seem that year five was the year of the rain. Every year we learn new things, and the big takeaway from this one is to come prepared to be soaked. For my birthday, Liên has already bought me a sturdy waterproof bag, and Mom already bought the ponchos. Here are five more things we learned:
1. To arrive on time, plan on early, and always take the first bus out.
2. The 170 minute wait for Avatar Flight of Passage is actually justified. This ride should always be a priority.
3. The kids aren't going to be too old for character experiences any time soon, and Minnie is a true professional. In fact, if you know you'll be around Minnie, don't be stingy with your hugs, put on a good face, and be photo ready.
4. Catching the end of a fastpass window for seating is a lot like not having a fastpass at all.
5. Drink in moderation. The bus ride back to Hollywood Studios on the 27th was like riding Mission Space Mars 9 times in a row.
Overall, I have to say this one was incredible. My little Milli was just tall enough for the Barnstormer, and next year she'll be ready for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Slinky Dog Dash, and Kali River Rapids. We forced Drakeson onto all the 44 inch rides, Space Mountain, Expedition Everest, and Avatar Flight of Passage, and he actually enjoyed flying on the banshee. Drakeson is in the process of getting less scared of rides; he basically likes all simulators and water rides, but prefers the roller coasters to be on the tamer side. He'll be pretty close to 48 inches by next summer, so with a little firm tofu under his heels, he'll be ready for my favorite ride Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, the fairly forgettable Primeval Whirl, and the new virtual reality experience at Disney Springs, Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire. To be thorough, he will also be able to ride Crush 'n' Gusher and Humunga Cowabunga at Typhoon Lagoon or Downhill Double Dipper, Slush Gusher, and Summit Plummet at Blizzard Beach. It's pretty obvious that I like to be thorough in my pre-planning, but it really pains me to type out all these stupid names in a row.
It was the day of sleeping in and relaxing at the water park. We didn't need ponchos because we'd be wet anyway. Mom brought one to put over the bags just in case of an emergency. We chose Typhoon Lagoon over Blizzard Beach by just a hair, and part of the draw was the new family raft ride, Miss Adventure Falls, which we rode twice. We hadn't realized that it couldn't sit up to 6 people like Teamboat Springs at Blizzard, so we'll have to take that into consideration next year. The other group raft ride, Gangplank Falls, was short and clearly not worth the wait. Hoping some little waterslides would make up for it, we stood in line at Storm Slides for another eternity. Unfortunately, people kept dropping their belongings, and retrieving them held everything up several times. George and I took a few minutes for Humunga Cowabunga, and then we all went to Typhoon Lagoon Surf Pool.
Remembering the trip my sister and I took in 1995, I decided to take Drakeson out as far as we could go. (It is important to note that in 1995, I was 13, and 13 is very different from 5.) I put my little guy in a life jacket, ventured out, and was promptly stopped by the lifeguard on duty. There's a rule against life jackets in the deep end, so I told Drakeson we had to stay back. He had another solution, which was to remove his life jacket and go into the deep end. I disagreed since it seemed dangerous, but then I changed my mind because he's very convincing. I asked George and Vivi to come out with me for moral support, and they did. Drakeson isn't great at treading water, so I told him to float on his back until the big waves came. I figured we'd do one round and come back to safety, but to our surprise, the big wave didn't come.
I have since learned that there is one 6-foot wave every 90 seconds, and this cycle repeats for a full 90 minute period. Afterwards is a 30 minute cycle of constant gentler bobbing waves. I also learned that the gentler bobbing waves in the deep end aren't really gentler at all. In fact, after treading water for 10 minutes with Drakeson and experiencing the "gentler bobbing waves," I started thinking we were going to be in trouble. Drakeson listened to my directions and stayed on his back like a pro until we were back in shallower waters, and then I just had to worry about George and Vivi surviving the sea storm. It wasn't an overreaction; they weren't too comfortable either.
With the trauma behind us, we went for a few long slow laps around the lazy river Castaway Creek. It was Milli's first time enjoying the water too much to ask for breastmilk, and that freed me up to play a little more with Drakeson. Once well rested, we returned to the Typhoon Lagoon Surf Pool to show it what we're made of. Drakeson and I were having the time of our lives at the edge of the deep end, and then it started raining. It seemed like good news at the time - all the people would leave the parks, and we could ride Mayday Falls and Keelhaul Falls with no waiting. After all, we didn't mind the rain, and we had all day. Sitting by the side of the pool, we watched the crowds move as predicted, but the rain didn't stop. We eventually got kicked out of the seating area, and at that point, our one poncho plan didn't really hold up. Our bags and everything in them got soaked. The passports and paperwork in the locker got soaked in the wet bags. And then we just sat there like suckers in the rain.
Eventually we gave up. We had to. In sopping swimsuits and long sleeved rashguards, we froze on not one but two air-conditioned busses and waited in the air-conditioned lobby of Art of Animation for our new Ariel room. A few very hot showers, some time in the covers, and a bottle of wine made everything right again, and Mom treated us all to Todd English's Bluezoo in the Dolphin Hotel. Next door at the Boardwalk, we saw Coney Island Chris' hilarious street show, and Vivi treated everyone to ice cream at Beaches & Cream Soda Shop. We had to go through Disney Springs to get back to the hotel, and we didn't arrive back to our rooms until past midnight. That wasn't the plan.
Bà & Drakeson
Bà & Milli
Typhoon Lagoon
Outside Hollywood
Monday, 30 Jul 18: Art of Animation
We slept and slept and slept. What was left of the morning was spent admiring our Little Mermaid surroundings, swimming at Flippin' Fins Pool, stopping by The Big Blue Pool, and sharing a few cupcakes at the ridiculously overpriced Landscape of Flavors. Check out the amazing decor.
Ariel & Flounder
Fishies
King Triton
Sebastian
Ursula
Prince Eric
Thingamabobs
Snarfblat
1. To arrive on time, plan on early, and always take the first bus out.
2. The 170 minute wait for Avatar Flight of Passage is actually justified. This ride should always be a priority.
3. The kids aren't going to be too old for character experiences any time soon, and Minnie is a true professional. In fact, if you know you'll be around Minnie, don't be stingy with your hugs, put on a good face, and be photo ready.
4. Catching the end of a fastpass window for seating is a lot like not having a fastpass at all.
5. Drink in moderation. The bus ride back to Hollywood Studios on the 27th was like riding Mission Space Mars 9 times in a row.
Overall, I have to say this one was incredible. My little Milli was just tall enough for the Barnstormer, and next year she'll be ready for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Slinky Dog Dash, and Kali River Rapids. We forced Drakeson onto all the 44 inch rides, Space Mountain, Expedition Everest, and Avatar Flight of Passage, and he actually enjoyed flying on the banshee. Drakeson is in the process of getting less scared of rides; he basically likes all simulators and water rides, but prefers the roller coasters to be on the tamer side. He'll be pretty close to 48 inches by next summer, so with a little firm tofu under his heels, he'll be ready for my favorite ride Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, the fairly forgettable Primeval Whirl, and the new virtual reality experience at Disney Springs, Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire. To be thorough, he will also be able to ride Crush 'n' Gusher and Humunga Cowabunga at Typhoon Lagoon or Downhill Double Dipper, Slush Gusher, and Summit Plummet at Blizzard Beach. It's pretty obvious that I like to be thorough in my pre-planning, but it really pains me to type out all these stupid names in a row.
The new land in Hollywood Studios, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, won't open until late fall, but we'll get an updated view of it on the top of Slinky Dog Dash, and I should understand the Star Wars plots well enough to have something to hang onto in the midst of the hype. Maybe we'll see Indiana Jones, because it's been a while. Next year, I'd like to set aside a little more time for the kids to play at The Boneyard and for everyone to enjoy the Discovery Island Trails. At Epcot, we'll plan to see the entire Jeweled Dragon Acrobats show, and we'll probably catch O Canada! and Test Track. In the Magic Kingdom, we've never bothered going to the Frontierland Shootin' Arcade or the Hall of Presidents, so we could. Something more exciting would be to eat in the Beast's castle at Be Our Guest Restaurant if we're lucky enough to secure a reservation. It may also be neat to see the Cirque do Soleil show out at Disney Springs on a non-park day instead of a dinner show. One last note for the bucket list - we could get George a Kitchen Sink at Beeches and Cream. This monstrosity includes several scoops of 5 types of ice cream, every topping in the house, and an entire can of whipped cream all for the low price of $28.99. It would be easy to make that anywhere else, but it would be reasonably priced and the gluttony would be less public, so that's no fun.
As spectacular as Disney is, the real vacation is in the little moments. Seeing Milli react to rides, watching her give hugs, playing in the waves with Drakeson, hearing the kids talk about their favorite things, having one of my best friends feel like family, listening to Bà read stories every night, and sneaking away with George on a few rides were the essence of the trip. And the profile of that majestic lion, so high up on that rock, so deep into the night.
And also, that hippo.
And also, that hippo.
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