It's always been a dream of mine to take my children to Disney World (I never went as a child). With the combination of 'free under 3' when I'm used to paying double for everything & their love for all things Mickey & Friends and princesses, we decided this was the best time for their first trip, and if I may say so, it was the perfect time. There is a fairly small window between being old enough to know the characters & being able to handle the exhaustion excitement and being young enough to truly believe & be wowed by all the magic, which was the best part to witness. You'll see...
Warning: extremely photo heavy post - and this is actually highly paired down!
If you want tips and details on how we planned our trip, head over here.
To see behind the magic of it all...
We drove in on a Saturday night, after their birthday party, so we decided to stay our first night in The Castle Hotel (much less expensive than staying on property, yet a seriously great start to our trip) It looks like a white castle & all the staff referred to The Kraze as 'Princess' the entire time, what more could you want?!
We slept in to recover from our road trip and party madness the day before... ate breakfast by the pool, opened a few presents from Grammy & Pops & got a good nap in before heading to Disney.
Walking into our first park, the cool touristy mom, with my camera and map ready game face on!
We decided Epcot would be the perfect park to start off with just a half-day, as there really isn't much for their age group here, but in my opinion, the best way to set the tone for the trip. Starting with a meet & greet with Mickey & his friends was absolutely perfect.
I mean just look at this beaming smile!
Day 2: Animal Kingdom all day
You might notice a theme throughout: Kara Rose is being held in almost all the character photos. She absolutely loved them... until they got close. Then she would hide behind us. She'll literally tell you, "I'm just a little bashful." That's ok my little girl, you own it!
Zoe's little thumbs in the corner of this pic...
My best attempt at getting a photo of our shirts I made.
Not surprisingly, she favored the rides, and would say "Higher!" "Faster!"
And this is how they felt about me taking their picture by the end of the day... and by that, I mean after lunch.
After nap (yes, we got naps in every day!)...
Look at that brave girl going to Baloo all on her own...
King Louie really wants a hug from you too...
Aaaaannnnd... she ran, but was happy to pose for the picture as long as someone held her!
But wait! When she's in her element (pretty much anything to do with singing & dancing), she's as brave as they come. She was actually IN the show and went around the entire stage on her own!!
I cried I was so proud and happy for her!
Again, no shocker, she favored the shows & Festival of the Lion King was probably our favorite.
He was thrilled I made us shirts!
Best attempt at getting them to both smile for the camera together before leaving Animal Kingdom.
*Tip: These bags were perfect for carrying their autograph books & pens!
Day 3 (AM): Hollywood Studios
Anxiously awaiting her breakfast with Doc @Hollywood & Vine
A surprise dance party with her very favorite, Sophia!
This smile is what I was talking about. I mean Zoe = cloud 9!
Holding out her princess gown for Sophia
Sully & Mike Wazowski are consistent faves so we just couldn't miss them while we were here!
Where else would we be with this level of excitement but the Frozen Sing-Along?!
How can I not include a pic of Daddy kissing one of his girls?!
Sometimes he's just as difficult as the little ones!
Day 3 (PM): Magic Kingdom
Of ALL the things to do at Disney, the carousel was one of their favorites.
Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner @ 1900 Park Fare
She was quite smitten with Prince Charming! Kara Rose was too "bashful".
I mean the utter joy...
*Tip: If you're celebrating a birthday, wear your birthday badge everywhere you go & you'll get one of these - breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Her name means 'life' and she's full of it. Her favorite person to make laugh is...
her sister - her biggest fan.
Day 4: Magic Kingdom all day
After 4 days and 1,000 pictures later, this was the best I could get... and it was only breakfast (which happened to be our favorite)
We had to carry that cupcake umbrella around with us the entire day (yes, even at breakfast they get cupcakes at Disney).
Then Pluto came up and wanted a bite...
He just got it all over his nose, then thought my face would be a good place to wipe it off.
But was nice enough to clean it off for me... The Kraze definitely thought it was funny.
The Tea Cups were definitely a favorite - I lost count how many times we rode them.
I'll just say, you only know how funny this is if you know my dad. I'll also say, grandparents will do just about anything for their grandchildren, especially this Pops.
*Tip: The Birthday Badges got them in every show they wanted to be in.
We went to the pool back at our resort for lunch & fun before nap time, since we knew it would be a late night...
Dinner at Chef Mickey's!
This is real life guys... bbq sauce on my elbow and didn't even know it... or that Mickey was right behind me.
Zo obviously really enjoyed her gazillionth cupcake of the trip.
This was right before Wishes started at 9:45PM, and they were still going strong(-ish), thanks to all the continued excitement... and sugar from the cupcakes.
Day 5 (Last Day/Half Day): Magic Kingdom:
*Speaking of the birthday badge, Peter Pan noticed them from the stage & shouted Happy Birthday to them in the middle of the show!!
This was the best thing we just happened upon!
You should actually schedule it in so you don't miss it!
Tinkerbell had to have been our favorite character. She really interacted with the girls and took a lot of time with them.
We ended our trip with a relaxing picnic on the lawn while the Festival of Fantasy Parade (in the background) went by.
There's no way you'll squeeze everything into one trip, which is really great because you leave feeling filled with happiness but plenty more to look forward to for next time... in a couple years. Whew!
The Kraze celebrating three at Disney see what I did there? was truly a dream come true for all of us!
For tips on planning your time in the parks (how we didn't wait in a single line more than 10 minutes) & how to make the happiest place on earth even more magical, stay tuned for the next post!
?Do you have any special Disney memories or tips to share? Please let us know in the comments (I'm sure this won't be our last trip)!
