Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Disney Delights

I’m nothing short of delinquent on this post, but I wanted to ensure it didn’t slip my to-do list, because preserving the memories of this trip is a very special and important necessity for me. Hopefully Jackson will someday enjoy recounting the memories of his first childhood trip to Disney World as well.

Since before my little one was born, when having children and a family was merely a dream of nothing more than fantasies and wishes and hopes and dreams, the one thing that stood out for me as a concrete plan was that I would absolutely take my little one to Disney World as a preschooler. It’s a magical era of childhood, and I wanted my child to experience the most magical place ever during this sweet age.  When my parenting framework didn’t pan out as I intended, my plans were slightly deferred, but nonetheless, I remained intent on ensuring the trip I always dreamed for would happen. And that’s why I decided to start planning and saving a year ago; even though my budget was strained and it looked to be just the two of us venturing out on this trip, I was determined to make it happen, and to make it awesome.

We used a travel agent (message me if you’d like a referral), stayed on site (LOVED the new Art of Animation resort), and of course, I did lots of Type-A style planning (see end of post for recommendations).  The week was a blast! Full of fun, excitement, and lots of moments of pure joy on Jackson’s adorable little face. Exactly what I wanted to see. :)

Some of his favorite rides were Soarin’, Test Track – although he rated it “a little bit scary” (both Epcot), Peter Pan, Journey of the Little Mermaid, Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Pirates of the Caribbean, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger – his #1 favorite (all at Magic Kingdom), and Toy Story Mania (Hollywood Studios).   We had some issues when I suggested we go through the Haunted Mansion – my little guy is frightened quite easily, and once we were inside the house, he became rather scared and anxious and has repeated multiple times since “I never, ever, NEVER, NEVER want to go to the Haunted Mansion again. EVER.”  We did many other rides and shows, which he enjoyed but didn’t necessarily indicate as a “favorite” … however, I’d also note that he thoroughly enjoyed the Tom Sawyer playground at Magic Kingdom as well as the Pirate Adventure through Disney recreation activities (which he still talks about as being a major “favorite” of the entire trip).  We also enjoyed eating at lots of neat restaurants – twice we enjoyed character meals, which were awesome (dinner at Chef Mickey’s and breakfast at Cape May Café) and also several cool restaurants at Downtown Disney.

Also, it was Jackson’s first ever time flying on an airplane – he was so excited, and loved it!  Being stuck at the Orlando airport for 9 hours didn’t even dampen his excited spirits :) We just made it an adventure and explored the airport, watched movies, and rode the transit like hobos! :) Definitely an experience to remember!

{Pics to come in a subsequent post}

Recommendations and Planning Sources

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