Photo taken by me
This was the first time in 4 years that we were able to go to disney and I couldn’t wait for Julia to experience this again like it was the first time, since she didn’t remember going when she was 4. We had a great time, it wasn’t as relaxing as I was hoping but we had fun as a family and made wonderful memories.
One of the reasons this wasn’t a relaxing week was because of the change Disney made to the disabilities pass. 4 years ago we obtained a pass that allowed kids with special needs to enter the rides without having to wait on lines and become over stimulated. Also for a kid with special needs it’s really hard to wait. This pass was wonderful and Ryan was able to experience all the ride he wasn’t able to when he was younger because we felt funny using the pass. This helped us so much and Ryan had a great experience. This year, not so much, they changed the passes and it was awful. Not only did they have to wait but it was an hard for all of us. I noticed a lot of families with special needs kid were also having hard time. You see, Disney decided, probably because a few people took advantage, that instead of letting the people who really need it get on the ride to help their kid feel comfortable that they would take 10 minutes off the wait time and you had to come back. SO, if the ride was a 60 minute wait you had to come back in 50 minutes. Um, yeah, my kid had a hard time and I am pretty sure kids who are much more in need had an even harder time. I plan to do an entire post on this because I think special needs parents need to have a plan before they go and I am hoping I can help them. So lets just ignore this for now and let me run down the week.
We arrived in disney after a long travel day. I already checked into the room, via email so when we got off the plane we already had our room number and never had to stop at the front desk (I strongly encourage this) It was nice to get into the room put our stuff down, not the suitcases since we had Disney get those for us. We stayed in the hotel since we only had 6 day passes to the parks. We were staying 8 days, leaving on Saturday so we didn’t need all those days. Anyway, we had some dinner at the hotel and the kids did a little night swimming before heading to bed for a busy day the next day.
On Saturday we swam for most of the day and then went to Magic Kingdom to have dinner with Winnie the Pooh and Friends. That was a lot of fun. We had a fun day/night. We went on Splash Mountain twice and the kids LOVED it. We got to see Stitch, rode the haunted mansion ride and dance with the Incredibles. We even got to see my FAVORITE ride, the Carousel of Progress. Something about this ride just makes it feel like you are really experiencing what Walt Disney wanted you to. The imagination and fun of Disney. The kids got to meet Ariel the Little Mermaid and literally we dubbed my son the king of the pick up lines. While talking to Ariel she said his yellow shirt reminded her of her friend Flounder. My son replies “I could be your Flounder.” The guy who works there and I just looked at each other and started cracking up. My husband still wont let him live it down because that was the BEST LINE EVER!!! He blushed the entire time he talked to her. I hope Prince Eric doesn’t find out.
The weather all week was hit or miss but it was SO HOT! The rain came and went all week. I think we spend 75% of our vacation wet. Even with the panchos we still got wet. It was an interesting adventure.
Monday we went to Hollywood studios and forced the children to experience the Tower of Terror. The ride was fine until the drops and that is when Ryan totally lost it and said it was the worst ride he has ever been on. I laughed because he was crying so hard and I am a awful mom but he turned and looked at me while crying and said “I thought I was going to die” I didn’t mean to laugh but how he said it had me rolling. We got to see Sophia the first and that is when the rain started rather hard. We hung around for a while and then headed back to the hotel so the kids can swim for a bit.
Tuesday we went to Breakfast with Mickey and Friends and then hit Epcot. HOLY CRAP IT WAS HOT AS BALLS but we walked to all the lands and the kids got to explore all the different cultures. We went on a ride or two but walking around that place is like actually walking to each country. My legs were hurting and the kids (my husband included) complained. I had fun! 🙂
Wednesday we bailed out on a park, so I lost a day but the kids swam all day and after we went to Disney Springs. It was so much better as Downtown Disney. I just didn’t understand it. I liked how it was before, this was just a strip of expensive stores and pushed in the corner was all the fun Downtown Disney stores that we love so much. We didn’t stay long but got to have my favorite Ghirardelli ice cream. It is so yummy! Because they changed it around so much we sort of got confused leaving, I honestly couldn’t figure out how the hell to get out of Disney Springs. Wednesday Night we realized Julia had a touch of sun poisoning on her face and we couldn’t go swimming again since I didn’t want it to get worse.
Thursday we headed to Animal Kingdom. That place is like the Serengeti. I swear it’s hotter than anyplace else in Florida…we didn’t stay long at all but we had to be back at 6:45 to have dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe. So we left for a while and then went back later to eat. It was nice to see a bigger Rain Forest Cafe and the food is so much better than the shitty breakfast we usually get with the Easter Bunny and Santa. 😉
Friday we did what we should have done all week and next year I will get the extra passes for the water parks. We headed to Blizzard Beach. We had so much fun, my husband lost my son. So far we are 2 for him and 0 for me. We did go on as many slides but we spend a lot of time in the wave pool, it was so refreshing. At about 4:00 I noticed a HUGE black cloud and told the kids we need to leave…like NOW! I wasn’t wrong the sky opened up and thankfully we missed the rush of people leaving the park since during a Thunderstorm they close the waterparks. Get got home, dried off and headed to Magic Kingdom for the last time. The kids and the husband wanted to go on Splash Mountain one more time but I was tired of getting wet so I said they could go, I was going to hang out and wait. Well the weather gods had other plan. While waiting for them it started raining and not just light rain but big fat drops of rain…I was SOAKED. I was actually wetter than the 3 of them. Should have just went on the ride, lol. Julia got to meet a few princesses and we headed back to the hotel to pack up and get ready to leave the next day. 🙁
Had our last breakfast at the hotel and we headed home. We have so many memories and so thankful for the chance to go and have fun. Even with being wet about 75% of the time we still had the best time ever. I can’t wait to do it again.
If you want to see more pictures head on over to my Instagram account to see all the pictures I took during our trip.
I hope you all have a MAGICAL Day!
xoxoxo
I need to go to Disney World! Like, it is my life mission! I’ve been to Disneyland billions of times, and I’m going again for the first time in NINE YEARS on Halloween. I’m dying. Time needs to go by faster! I’ve already downloaded the Disneyland app so I can stalk the characters….not like they’ll be where they are now by time I go, but still…I gotta be prepared! If I don’t see Belle on Halloween when I’m dressed as her, I’ll probably cry.
It’s stupid that they changed the passes for special needs kids. People always have to take advantage and ruin it for others. Hopefully, if enough parents voice their concerns, they’ll fix it.
Tower of Terror is my favorite! Obviously, I don’t know how it differs from the Disneyland one, but I’m sure it’s similar and a total blast! I’m sad that Ryan didn’t enjoy it! And shame on you for laughing at him! 😛
BAYMAX!!!!!!!
The app is fantastic and if she is at a meet and great you can set up a fastpass for her now so you wont miss her. This is if Disney land has them. They usually are in the same place all the time. You better take pictures I want to see you dressed as her with her. 🙂
It was rather irritating I want to write a letter and see what they say but it was very hard for Ryan.
I was sad he didn’t like it either but it was funny. lol
Baymax was so cute! and the kids said he was squishy.
I want to go back to Flordia someday. We spent 9 days at the parks and still didn’t see everything. Although the weather is much more agreeable in California, which is why we often choose Disneyland. We are used to dry humid hot weather in the midwest, but Flordia’s wet humid weather is hard. We loved the water parks. Blizzard beach was probably our favorite, but Typhoon Lagoon was fun too. I agree with Katherine we do Disney like an edurance sport to see how much we can see in the time we are there. I’m so happy you got to meet so many characters.
I would recommend going at the end of August or October. October is actually the best. We went on our Honeymoon during that time and it was gorgeous, not to hot and just right at night.
Blizzard Beach was a blast but good gravy they have a lot of stairs and every thing is up hill. I don’t ever remember walking down hill lol.
It’s my sons favorite par the characters, we try to hit as many as we can when we go. We got lucky with Stitch since he was as soon as we walked in and not a long line.
Sounds awesome! It’s been a few years since we’ve been and I can’t wait to go again but I want to wait until next year or so for the Tornado’s sake. We do Disney like an endurance sport so I think he’d like it more when he was 7 or 8. That’s awful about the changes of the special needs pass. Who does that help? Have you written any of the experience to the park itself? I’ve heard stories of them really going above and beyond on the whole customer service thing. That Sunday! I want one!
I plan to write a letter to let them know I was very sad they changed it and it hurt our experience.
7 or 8 is a good age and yes exactly like an endurance sport LOL
I’ve been to Disney land Paris once as a kid and once when I was a bit older and still have fond memories of it, it’s so magical to visit and maybe even more when you’re younger. It sounds like you had a great visit, although that’s a shame they changed those passes. You always will have people who misuse things like that, but for the kids that really need it the previous system sounds like it worked much better.
That’s fun you got to meet so many characters. And that is a great pick-up line your son used on Ariel. Sounds like you didn’t have much luck with the weather with it being so hot and rain regularly. That waterpark did sound nice. I am glad you had such a great time and I hope you can go again soon. Oh and that dessert looks so yummy!
It really is a magic place just wish it wasn’t so crowded and I knew about the passes. I think it messed us up big time.
It was so much fun for the kids to meet the characters, it’s Ryan’s favorite part. I would love to go again next year, I am really pushing us to save money to go.
That Ice Cream was VERY tasty! 🙂
Sounds like an amazing week (other than the rain and the change to the passes). That’s too bad they had to change those- I’ll bet a lot of people feel the same way! And I didn’t know they changed Downtown Disney around- that sounds like it sucks. I’m going to miss the old way, I think. I’ll have to look it up online and see what they did…
Great pics. I love Epcot but yeah that place… after a day it’s hard not to be tired. 🙂 And Magic Kingdom never gets old. Nice pick up line by your son BTW- I’ll bet they hear it all but that was probably a first! Ha ha great post. I think I’d like the wave pool at Blizzard Beach…
I am not sure how long they have been doing that but it totally messed up my planning since I didn’t know they changed it. I now know for next time.
Downtown Disney was a MESS! I just don’t understand it. It had like Spanish Influence architecture and stories you can find in a mall. Not even wholesale or duty free just normal stores that rich people go to. I am on a budget and I could go to the mall if I needed something like that.
The way he was blushing was just so cute and he talked so much to her. His favorite parts are the characters we search for them all the time. Would like to do one day of just finding characters, think he would like a day of that.
The water at the wave pool was so soft and wet lol I can’t explain it but it just felt wetter than other water. LOL