Disney World: Day 4

Today was our last day at Disney World. We started the day at MGM studios. Playhouse Disney was there showcasing some of their shows. We got to see the Doodlebops in concert, which was pretty entertaining. And we got to eat lunch with JoJo (of JoJo's Circus fame) and the Little Einsteins. Emma was pretty stoked to see June from Little Einsteins. For Emma being so outgoing and vocal, she sure does clam up when a giant-headed character shows up!

We also introduced Emma to 3D movies. The Muppets have a 3D show there, and it's really fun. For us. Emma wasn't as fond. She continually ducked and covered while yelling "we need to get out of here!". I kept telling her it was almost over, even 2 minutes after the show started. Later in the day, we would watch a similar 3D show at the Magic Kingdom. However, Emma had not grown to love 3D by the time we watched the 2nd one. Lots of "let's get outta here!" and "it's almost over".

After the Muppets, we decided to leave MGM (more show stuff than rides, and most is scary for a 4 year old) and head to the Magic Kingdom to ride more rides. After arriving, we caught the afternoon parade, which ended in a giant thunderstorm. Tons of large, cold drops of water sent people rushing into the stores. At this point in time, Emma was losing her mind. We had decided to push through her nap and get done with the parks early and go to bed early. A tired, non-nap Emma is a scary thing to witness. We decided that running around in the rain was better than trying to keep her still & quiet in the store. We then rode "It's a Small World" three times in hopes that the rain would stop. It finally did after just over an hour, and we continued riding rides. As we left the park, we turned and waved goodbye to the entrance and to Cinderella's Castle (for Emma's closure purposes only). It was a really great trip that we'll remember for a lifetime. We can't wait to come back and bring "B" when she's older.

Flickr Set updated with more pictures.

I will be uploading lots of videos, so stay tuned for a video-recap post!

Disney World: Day 3

Today was a much calmer day than yesterday. We spent the morning at Animal Kingdom. First, we ate breakfast with Mickey, Goofy, Donald Duck, and Pluto. We hit up the Safari after breakfast and got to see lots of fun animals. Though it was neat, I still like Wild Wilderness Drive Through Safari better. Disney wouldn't let you go into a cage with baby tigers, bears, or monkeys. Gentry has one-upped Walt Disney. Brings a tear of pride to my eye.

We then went to see the Festival of the Lion King, the best thing Disney has done since creating Mickey Mouse. I'm serious...it's better than the actual Broadway show of the Lion King. Emma was REALLY loving it, too. So much fun!

Allison and I took turns riding Expedition: Everest, a new and really fun roller coaster in Animal Kingdom. We played in Dinoland for a while and finished off our stay in the Animal Kingdom with Finding Nemo: The Musical. In summary: meh. The costumes and sets were truly amazing and makes the show worth seeing. The music was painful. Like American Idol tryouts painful. That bush-baby guy from last year's tryouts could have made better music.

After naps, we went back to Epcot to ride Soarin', a really great new ride there. The wait was an hour long, but you get to do thermal-sensory games while waiting. Basically, there are huge screens and thermal detectors. Your thermal imprint interacts with things on the screen. One of the games we played was knocking a ton of balls around on the screen. Another was a collective effort to fly your bird through a maze of woods by leaning left or right as a group. Pretty nifty stuff! We then rode the Finding Nemo ride (and huge fish tank observatory) twice. We polished off the evening by riding in the front of the Monorails from Epcot to the Magic Kingdom.

Tomorrow is our last day, and we'll spend it at MGM, eating lunch with the Little Einsteins and JoJo, and watching a Doodlebops performance. More pictures on the Flickr group page.

Disney World: Day 2

Today was our big day at the Magic Kingdom. It was tons of fun...Emma had a blast! We started the day off with It's a Small World, and instantly became Emma's favorite ride. She was absolutely spell-bound the entire time! We then hit up Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh, and the race cars before heading over to a show at Cinderella's castle. All the characters and princesses were in the show, so Emma loved it, too. After lunch and playing around on some playgrounds, we went back to the hotel for naps.

Around 4:30, we headed back into the park for some more rides (It's a Small World, again) and a story-reading by Belle. Of course, she told the story of Beauty & The Beast. And Emma was picked to help Belle tell the story (with several other kids, too). Emma got to play the part of Chip, the young teacup. The entire time Emma was up there, she kept trying to show Belle her big button saying it was Emma's first time to Disney World. Belle was very nice and kept Emma close to her the whole time and afterwards, bent down to look at the button and allow us a picture of them. It was the highlight of the day, by a long shot! We meandered through Tom Sawyer's Island and then lined up to see the Spectra Parade. Basically, it's a huge parade where all the floats and people are lit up. It's really amazing! I'll upload some videos when we get back so you can partake in a little magic!

Tomorrow, we're eating breakfast with Micky & Minnie (and the other major characters) in Animal Kingdom. Then hopefully catching up on some rides at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot that we missed in these first two days! This whole trip has been amazing, and such a joy to watch Emma's face as she smiles and waves at all the people she loves: Mickey, Minnie, and all the Princesses.

I have added more pictures to our Disney Flickr Set.

Disney World: Day 1

Well, we're finally here in Disney World! We left Little Rock this morning and flew to Orlando, with a stop in Atlanta to change flights. Emma took her first plane ride and did SOOO good! It pretty much never phased her...take off, air-pressure changes, and landing went almost completely unnoticed! Very much an answered prayer!

Let me tell you, Disney has it ALL figured out! They picked up our luggage at the airport and dropped it in our room while we were in EPCOT. They have special buses ready to take you straight to your hotel. Your room key is also a charge card, meal card, and your park-entry passes. We go to the hotel and dropped off our carry-on items, then headed straight to Epcot to have dinner with the Princesses. We rode my favorite ride of all time, Journey Into Imagination. Then we headed over to have dinner with the Princesses in Norway (part of World Showcase). As we ate, the princesses would come to your table to sign autographs (we have an autograph book), and take pictures (lots of these, too). Emma was pretty overwhelmed at seeing all her favorite princesses! Her smiles in most of the pictures is severely overdone, because she was totally beside herself! After dinner, we went and picked out the token stuffed animal for the trip: a big Pluto! She's asleep with him over her face right now as I'm typing this. We did the Nemo ride before heading back to the hotel. With no nap, two flights, and seeing all the princesses, our little princess was pretty pooped. Tomorrow: The Magic Kingdom!!

Pictures are here.