Disney daze

Last week we took the girls to Disney World. The weather there in September is a bit cooler/cloudier than in mid-summer, and the crowds are much lower after Labor Day. {As a side note, much lower crowds are not to be confused with no crowds. I would call the September crowds manageable}. We recruited my mom to go with us, because no one should ever go to a massive theme park if the number of young children in their party is greater than the number of adults. We’re not parenting experts, but we know that much! So, we loaded up our luggage, double stroller, backpack leash, twenty pounds of snacks for the car and off we went.

Thanks to a very helpful friend and Disney travel planner, {Celebration Vacations is wonderful} most of our days were mapped out for us ahead of time. So, we kept a tight schedule to get the most in during our time there.

One of the main reasons we wanted to go this year was because there seems to be a window of opportunity for young children to experience something of the Disney magic. We love stories and fairytales, and for the Preschooler’s age especially, all of it comes to life there on the rides and in the shows. Nothing about going to Disney World is simple or sensible or easy. There were tantrums and meltdowns, arguments and rain showers. But, some of my favorite memories from childhood were made there, and I hope the same will be true for these girls.

The highlight of the Preschooler’s trip was definitely meeting the characters, whom she is convinced are all real. One morning we had breakfast with them and watching her excitement build was more entertaining than actually meeting them.

And, any and every princess was a hit.

Given her activity level, it’s only surprising it took her two days to lose it. Thankfully the parks have a special department called Guest Relations where we were able to remedy the situation.

A couple of days it rained on us. But, we were prepared with ponchos and carried on as usual. In fact, we found some other uses for the ponchos on the water rides. Mimi took her preparation for those very seriously and came out bone-dry on even the wildest rapids ride.

Our biggest challenge on the trip was simply getting from place to place. Everything is so spread out that you log thousands of steps per day. The stroller helped, but most of the time the Preschooler wound up riding on the Spouse’s shoulders. This worked really well until she discovered what a rise she could get out of her sisters when she very intentionally mooned them. It caused quite a stir.

Where did she learn this? I have no idea. We were so embarrassed. And, so someone temporarily lost her riding privileges and had to walk. Heaven forbid.

That problem aside, it was a good trip. Hopefully fun memories were made by all. I’m not sure my mom will be signing up to accompany us on another trip anytime real soon, but we’re most grateful for her assistance. Maybe next time we go everyone will be able to walk without a stroller and use the restroom unassisted. {I’m pretty sure we visited all of those, by the way}.