We had an absolutely magical trip to Disney World. I honestly loved it all. The girls did too! And I lost count of how many times the girls said "This is best day EVER!" and "best trip EVER!" It is hard to even put into words all of the fun moments we had and wonderful memories that were made. I could write for days. But I thought it would be fun to talk about our top 10 favorite parts of our trip. So here goes ...
1. Dining at Cinderella's Royal Table and meeting princesses.
Princesses were the prime attraction for our little princesses during our days at Disney. They just beamed when they saw a princess, let alone getting to talk to, hug and take pictures with them. I think our breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table on our last day at Magic Kingdom was the highlight of their trip ... and mine, too. Who wouldn't love getting to dine in the castle while FIVE of your favorite princesses came to your table to talk to you?!
Who better to meet on the way into the castle than the Fairy Godmother? Annabel wanted to go talk to her!
And then Cinderella greeted us when we came in the castle. The girls were in awe!
Then we were seated. Do you think they were a wee bit excited when they saw the princesses starting to come around to the tables?
First was Sleeping Beauty. Or Aurora, as Madeline likes to call her. Madeline was so proud of her matching dress.
And Snow White, who they thought was so beautiful!
And Ariel was so fun and sweet.
And lastly, they were mesmerized by Jasmine. They loved her outfit! :>)
Mommy had to have a picture too!
Then we headed to Princess Fairytale Hall where we got to meet Rapunzel and also see Snow White again. Rapunzel is a favorite of the girls, especially Annabel, so they were so star struck when they saw her. She was awesome!!
Whew, a day of meeting princesses will wear a girl out! Just kidding. They are faking it. They thought they were being so funny.
2. Becoming a princess at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.
Getting transformed into a beautiful princess at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is certainly any young princess's dream come true. I was a proud mommy watching the excitement in their eyes as they chose their tiara, eye shadow, nail polish, etc. I kept thinking back to all those years when I longed to be a mommy and get to experience mommy moments just like this where I would see pure happiness in my child's face. This was no doubt one of those moments. They were in little girl heaven!
The before picture ...
The reveal ...
The girls with their own fairy godmothers.
These two were so happy to show off their new looks.
And the princesses with their prince! (I absolutely adore these pictures.)
Of course they couldn't stay serious for long...
Getting transformed into a beautiful princess at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is certainly any young princess's dream come true. I was a proud mommy watching the excitement in their eyes as they chose their tiara, eye shadow, nail polish, etc. I kept thinking back to all those years when I longed to be a mommy and get to experience mommy moments just like this where I would see pure happiness in my child's face. This was no doubt one of those moments. They were in little girl heaven!
The before picture ...
The process ...
The reveal ...
The girls with their own fairy godmothers.
These two were so happy to show off their new looks.
And the princesses with their prince! (I absolutely adore these pictures.)
Of course they couldn't stay serious for long...
3. Meeting all the characters
I knew at this age our Disney trip would be all about the characters. I knew they would love meeting all their favorites from the shows and movies they love to watch. But I laughed when we came across the first characters ... Daisy and Donald ... at Hollywood Studios right after we got there, and the girls would not go near them! I think they were a little surprised that those two little cartoon ducks would be so big!
They were still a little standoffish when we saw Mickey a few minutes later (hiding behind daddy) but eventually warmed up just fine. Madeline still preferred mommy or daddy to be in the pictures with her most of the time.
We dined at Hollywood and Vine at Hollywood Studios with the Disney Jr. Characters on our first Disney day with our cousins.
We went to Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom with Winnie the Pooh and friends the evening after their afternoon at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.
And we had a wonderful breakfast at Tusker House at Animal Kingdom with Mickey and the gang.
And we met SO many other characters!
They loved them all, but they thought meeting Tinkerbell and her friend Rosetta was super fun! So much so that they decided to get in the floor and crawl around like a kitty and puppy. Tinkerbell was so cute and laughed and got in the floor with them. They loved Tinkerbell!
I knew at this age our Disney trip would be all about the characters. I knew they would love meeting all their favorites from the shows and movies they love to watch. But I laughed when we came across the first characters ... Daisy and Donald ... at Hollywood Studios right after we got there, and the girls would not go near them! I think they were a little surprised that those two little cartoon ducks would be so big!
They were still a little standoffish when we saw Mickey a few minutes later (hiding behind daddy) but eventually warmed up just fine. Madeline still preferred mommy or daddy to be in the pictures with her most of the time.
They really enjoyed their autograph books and showing them to the characters they met, who usually pointed and clapped when they saw they had their own page to sign. That made my girls just beam with excitement, and Annabel did a lot of jumping up and down. In addition to Cinderella's Royal Table, we did three other character meals.
We dined at Hollywood and Vine at Hollywood Studios with the Disney Jr. Characters on our first Disney day with our cousins.
We went to Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom with Winnie the Pooh and friends the evening after their afternoon at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.
And we had a wonderful breakfast at Tusker House at Animal Kingdom with Mickey and the gang.
And we met SO many other characters!
They loved them all, but they thought meeting Tinkerbell and her friend Rosetta was super fun! So much so that they decided to get in the floor and crawl around like a kitty and puppy. Tinkerbell was so cute and laughed and got in the floor with them. They loved Tinkerbell!
4. The Castle
The beautiful iconic Disney World Castle. "Look, mommy, the castle!!!" That's when they knew they were at Disney World! It is beautiful day and night and from every angle, and I could not resist taking lots of pictures of it.
7. Music, dancing and parades.
Certainly the Disney parks are known for their entertainment. And my little entertainers loved watching all of the shows. We really enjoyed the Beauty and the Beast musical at Hollywood Studios and the Finding Nemo show at Animal Kingdom.
We somehow missed the daytime parade times at Magic Kingdom. I guess we were stuck in the wrong areas of the park doing princess-ey stuff or on rides. But we caught the afternoon parade at Animal Kingdom, and the girls loved it! Annabel said when she grows up, she wants to be "super tall on those funny leg things like those dancers in the parade."
We did catch an afternoon show with music and dancing at Magic Kingdom, and it was fantastic. I loved watching it through a child's eyes as they saw all their favorite characters come to life through the music and dancing.
Can't beat my view of the show either... My two little princesses.
The beautiful iconic Disney World Castle. "Look, mommy, the castle!!!" That's when they knew they were at Disney World! It is beautiful day and night and from every angle, and I could not resist taking lots of pictures of it.
5. The Rides
We had so much fun riding rides! Some of their favorites were the Toy Story 3D ride at Hollywood Studios, the big Magic Kingdom Carousel, the Voyage of the Little Mermaid, the teacups, the Dumbo ride, Aladdin's Magic Carpet, and of course the timeless "It's a Small World" ride. I remember that ride well from my one trip to Disney World when I was 11. We rode it both days at Magic Kingdom. I loved hearing "mommy, look ... mommy, look" as they pointed out all their favorite little characters during that fun boat ride. They wanted me to take pictures of everything!
We had so much fun riding rides! Some of their favorites were the Toy Story 3D ride at Hollywood Studios, the big Magic Kingdom Carousel, the Voyage of the Little Mermaid, the teacups, the Dumbo ride, Aladdin's Magic Carpet, and of course the timeless "It's a Small World" ride. I remember that ride well from my one trip to Disney World when I was 11. We rode it both days at Magic Kingdom. I loved hearing "mommy, look ... mommy, look" as they pointed out all their favorite little characters during that fun boat ride. They wanted me to take pictures of everything!
But the biggest surprise was what little thrill seekers they are. On our last day, we walked by the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad soon after the park opened, and there was no line. They had been asking to ride a roller coaster and they barely made the height requirement for this one, so we gave it a try. They LOVED it! We heard squeals and giggles the whole time!
6. Going on Safari and seeing animals at Animal Kingdom.
We had a beautiful day at Animal Kingdom. After our Tusker House breakfast, we toured the park to see all the animals and went on a fun safari. We all enjoyed the safari ride, and they thought being so close to the animals was really cool.
The girls were pretty stoked about seeing real live porcupines!
We had a beautiful day at Animal Kingdom. After our Tusker House breakfast, we toured the park to see all the animals and went on a fun safari. We all enjoyed the safari ride, and they thought being so close to the animals was really cool.
The girls were pretty stoked about seeing real live porcupines!
And then they got to pet some funny animals at the "Affection Section" of the park.
7. Music, dancing and parades.
Certainly the Disney parks are known for their entertainment. And my little entertainers loved watching all of the shows. We really enjoyed the Beauty and the Beast musical at Hollywood Studios and the Finding Nemo show at Animal Kingdom.
We somehow missed the daytime parade times at Magic Kingdom. I guess we were stuck in the wrong areas of the park doing princess-ey stuff or on rides. But we caught the afternoon parade at Animal Kingdom, and the girls loved it! Annabel said when she grows up, she wants to be "super tall on those funny leg things like those dancers in the parade."
We did catch an afternoon show with music and dancing at Magic Kingdom, and it was fantastic. I loved watching it through a child's eyes as they saw all their favorite characters come to life through the music and dancing.
Can't beat my view of the show either... My two little princesses.
8. Our Resort
I knew I wanted to spend a couple of days at a resort that the girls would enjoy ... maybe some place with a princess related theme. This trip was all about them. So for the last half of our trip, we checked in to the Art of Animation Resort. It was wonderful! The whole resort was like it stepped right out of The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Finding Nemo, and Cars. Of course we chose a Little Mermaid themed room. But more than just the room ...the whole section of the resort was a Little Mermaid heaven for these two little girls. They loved all the huge replicas of the characters or parts of the move and had to take a picture with each one. And the room was great too ... a clam shell bed, Ariel shower curtain with a sea-themed shower surround, a big picture of Flynn on the wall, etc. It was perfect!
The pools and splash areas were fabulous ... although it would have been even better if we had higher temps!
We greatly enjoyed our time at the resort. I already decided we should stay at the Cars or Lion King part of it when we go back with our boys.
I knew I wanted to spend a couple of days at a resort that the girls would enjoy ... maybe some place with a princess related theme. This trip was all about them. So for the last half of our trip, we checked in to the Art of Animation Resort. It was wonderful! The whole resort was like it stepped right out of The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Finding Nemo, and Cars. Of course we chose a Little Mermaid themed room. But more than just the room ...the whole section of the resort was a Little Mermaid heaven for these two little girls. They loved all the huge replicas of the characters or parts of the move and had to take a picture with each one. And the room was great too ... a clam shell bed, Ariel shower curtain with a sea-themed shower surround, a big picture of Flynn on the wall, etc. It was perfect!
We were in the Ursula building, which the girls thought was funny. They laughed looking at the view of the big Ursula (and her big bottom) from our balcony ...
The pools and splash areas were fabulous ... although it would have been even better if we had higher temps!
We greatly enjoyed our time at the resort. I already decided we should stay at the Cars or Lion King part of it when we go back with our boys.
9. Having fun with family and cousins.
These are in no specific order because spending time with my sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephews was absolutely one of the best parts of our trip. They were so kind to let us stay with them for the first half of the trip, and we had a great time exploring the parks together on our first two days. I LOVE watching my girls playing and spending time with their cousins. And they love their cousins! They are finally old enough to kind of keep up with the four "big kids," and they adore their big girl cousin Ava and loved playing school and dolls with her. And of course I very much enjoyed hanging out with my sister and brother-in-law too. They are pretty cool folks. :>)
We all laughed at this picture and realized you definitely get a different angle when you ask a kiddo to take the photo. But this one got us all in the shot. One of the others with a camera only got 3 of us and from shoulders down.
10. Shopping!
They are MY daughters. That means they have to love to shop. And they do! We went in to this store during the rain at Hollywood Studios, and the girls' mouths dropped open. SO many stuffed animals. A dream come true for them! Then the "I want this one ... and that one ... and that one" started. So we decided that we would look around but would wait until the end of the trip to buy their favorite item. They were cool with that and had fun looking around ... and trying on all the hats.
We thought our afternoon exploring Downtown Disney was a great time to actually let them buy something, mostly because it meant we did not have to carry it around the parks. And on my goodness, what better place to shop than the World of Disney store. It is massive and has everything you could possibly imagine. They each chose a Disney princess doll as their "prize" ... Annabel got Ariel and Madeline got Sleeping Beauty. They also talked us into getting them each a small stuff animal too. We are suckers. Madeline really really wanted a little Lady and the Tramp stuffed dog since Annabel already had one at home. And Annabel had been talking about wanting a "Minnie-rella" for weeks. Then we picked out a Mickey hat for James and a Goofy hat for Elliot. They were super excited with all our souvenir purchases!
These are in no specific order because spending time with my sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephews was absolutely one of the best parts of our trip. They were so kind to let us stay with them for the first half of the trip, and we had a great time exploring the parks together on our first two days. I LOVE watching my girls playing and spending time with their cousins. And they love their cousins! They are finally old enough to kind of keep up with the four "big kids," and they adore their big girl cousin Ava and loved playing school and dolls with her. And of course I very much enjoyed hanging out with my sister and brother-in-law too. They are pretty cool folks. :>)
We all laughed at this picture and realized you definitely get a different angle when you ask a kiddo to take the photo. But this one got us all in the shot. One of the others with a camera only got 3 of us and from shoulders down.
10. Shopping!
They are MY daughters. That means they have to love to shop. And they do! We went in to this store during the rain at Hollywood Studios, and the girls' mouths dropped open. SO many stuffed animals. A dream come true for them! Then the "I want this one ... and that one ... and that one" started. So we decided that we would look around but would wait until the end of the trip to buy their favorite item. They were cool with that and had fun looking around ... and trying on all the hats.
We thought our afternoon exploring Downtown Disney was a great time to actually let them buy something, mostly because it meant we did not have to carry it around the parks. And on my goodness, what better place to shop than the World of Disney store. It is massive and has everything you could possibly imagine. They each chose a Disney princess doll as their "prize" ... Annabel got Ariel and Madeline got Sleeping Beauty. They also talked us into getting them each a small stuff animal too. We are suckers. Madeline really really wanted a little Lady and the Tramp stuffed dog since Annabel already had one at home. And Annabel had been talking about wanting a "Minnie-rella" for weeks. Then we picked out a Mickey hat for James and a Goofy hat for Elliot. They were super excited with all our souvenir purchases!
But probably the most special part of the trip was for daddy and me to get to spend some good quality one on one time with these beautiful little girls who are growing up way too fast. Yes, there were a few meltdown moments from overly exhausted 4 year olds (like when mommy insisted we stay at Magic Kingdom ALL day to see the late night parade). But they were troopers, and we made the most of every day at the parks and resort. The smiles, laughs, squeals, giggles back and forth between them, and just the look of utter happiness on their faces is the best reward a mommy can ask for and made it, in their words, the "BEST TRIP EVER!"
Here are a few of my other favorite pics from our trip that I had to include. Like these from our plane ride to Orlando. I think they were excited! And Annabel wanted to be prepared and read that diagram for an hour.
Family pic from our rainy but fun day at Hollywood Studios.
Our first view of the castle. Had to stop and take a picture in front of it! Still beautiful even on a cold and cloudy morning.
Just a cute pic of my smiling happy hand-holding Minnie fans.
The aftermath of the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique princess hairdo after wearing it for two days! This was with ALL the pins out of it, and it still stayed like that. That was loads of fun to brush out!
And a few of my favorite pics from Animal Kingdom, which I loved.
Annabel on the drums ...
I cannot wait to go back. It was the first time I had been since I was 11, but I think I am definitely a Disney girl, and I certainly want to experience it with my boys too!
Here are a few of my other favorite pics from our trip that I had to include. Like these from our plane ride to Orlando. I think they were excited! And Annabel wanted to be prepared and read that diagram for an hour.
Family pic from our rainy but fun day at Hollywood Studios.
And a few of my favorite pics from Animal Kingdom, which I loved.
Annabel on the drums ...
And Madeline in front of the magnificent tree. "Ta da," she says!
I cannot wait to go back. It was the first time I had been since I was 11, but I think I am definitely a Disney girl, and I certainly want to experience it with my boys too!
No comments:
Post a Comment