Friday, December 16, 2011

Five on Friday: Disney Highlights

I can imagine you were sick with worry, just up in arms about where I have been...(I am clearly joking, I know the lovely 22 followers that I have made it through the week just fine without me). I am always torn about blogging while we are away, letting the world know we are gone, and the house is empty, even though I know our neighbors watch our house like a hawk (Molly will call at 10pm if I have left a candle burning - love her) AND we have a super duper security system that actually snaps photographs every single day and sends them to our phones, love that feature.

Today I thought I would share my Five Favorite Moments of our Family Vacation to Walt Disney World.  We left on Saturday morning bright and early and arrived home yesterday late in the day. My Parents joined in the fun - a huge thank you to them for making it happen. The girls had a blast!! It was stressful for us adults, and the girls didn't get a lot of sleep, so lets just say that Avery left her best behavior at home.  It will likely be several years before we go back...IF we go back. But looking back at the photos has helped me realize that we did have fun, I wish I would have had a better attitude about it while we were there.

1) Cinderella's Castle - all beautified for the evening shows, seeing the girls reaction was priceless. We had been talking about seeing Cinderella's Castle to get them pumped for the trip, so this was top of their list.


Notice the Characters on the Stage...

2) The Parades - we saw the Electrical Parade our first night and it was fantastic. It allowed the girls to see all the characters from a distance so as to not get overwhelmed. And then we also had tickets for the Very Merry Christmas Party, which included another great Parade, but this one was Christmas Themed. The girls loved watching the Parades, waving to the characters and chowing down on popcorn or cotton candy.

Our First Night

Christmas Parade
Avery enjoying the yummy Popcorn (Snack on Dining Plan)
Olivia & YaYa just before the Christmas Parade started
Olivia chowing down on Popcorn

3) Character Breakfasts and Lunch - we had breakfast at Chef Mickey's and also at 1900 Park Fare and then had lunch at Cinderella's Castle with all the Princesses. I have fond memories of dining with Chip & Dale and Mickey when I was a kid so it was important for me that the girls also had the same memories, however, what I didn't factor in was their immense fear of Characters whose faces they cannot see.  So it was hit or miss, but towards the end of the week they were pros and I was impressed with how far they came in the fear department.

The Girls with Belle

With Ariel
At Chef Mickey's

With Alice in Wonderland at 1900 Park Fare
4) Fireworks while Riding Dumbo - the timing was perfect. We were riding Dumbo during the Fireworks Finale one night and we couldn't have asked for a better spot to view those sparklers from. It was picture perfect.



5) VIP Family at Disney Junior Live - the girls had been talking all week and leading up to the trip about seeing Jake and the Neverland Pirates and so we specifically set out bright and early to get to Hollywood Studios to ensure we caught one of the shows. We ended up being first in line and were selected to be the VIP Family, which entitled us to a card signed by all the Disney Junior Stars, our pick of seats and we also had to open the doors by saying some magic words.



Meeting Jake - Olivia was starstruck, she couldn't stop bouncing around
Handy Manny

A bonus moment - just being silly with the girls at Epcot after a delicious dinner at Teppan Edo...



Next Week's Topic will be Five Christmas List Items...

1 comment:

3guysandagirl said...

I'm glad you went. We've gone almost every year since 2006 and have become addicted. The boys love it and while can get grumpy at times, are usually pretty good. We're going for 10 nights in February!