DisneyWorld!!

We had a blast during our DisneyWorld trip. It’s crazy how fast a week can go when you are having so much fun. Our good friend (and my big sis in Delta Zeta), Shelly, lives near Orlando so she joined us at all the parks. We started with Animal Kingdom which is really just a big zoo. It was cool seeing all the wild animals but I felt like they needed more rides. The best part was the Lion King show. It was kind of Cirque De Soilel-ish with acrobats and dancing. Very good show.

We then went to Hollywood Studios and that was a good time. We loved the Toy Story ride! Eric and I rode the Hotel Tower of Terror and that was my favorite part. Eric would not ride the Rockin Rollercoaster with me. He said he was full since we had just eaten lunch (still had a hangover, too.) So I was able to ride it with Shelly and it was pretty good for an inside coaster. Marin’s favorite part was the Beauty in the Beast stage show but that was probably Eric’s least favorite part since he was playing on his phone the whole time. We also did the American Idol Experience where it almost feels like you are watching a real show. Very cool.

Then it was the big day at Magic Kingdom! We were able to get into the park early before it opened because Marin had an appointment at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for 9 am but the park did not open until that time and we still had to be at the castle 10 minutes before her appt. So it was neat to see the park when it’s pretty much empty. Marin got to dress up as Cinderella and she got her hair and makeup done. She looked like a real princess for the day. After her appointment we had a reservation for breakfast inside the castle with the Disney princesses. When we first went in Cinderella came out and everyone was able to get her autograph and picture with her. Marin took an adorable picture with her and they even gave us prints of the picture as part of the cost included with the meal. We then went upstairs in the castle to the dining room. Marin was so nervous about meeting the princesses that she would not even eat anything. We finally had to talk her into eating something. The princesses were introduced one by one and they came out and stopped to talk to each table. We were the first table so they stopped to talk to us first! Marin got their autographs and a photo with each one. There was Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Ariel and Belle.  After that we hit the rides in Fantasy land. “It’s a Small World” was one of the first ones we rode so that song was stuck in my head for the rest of the day! Most of the rides are very juvenile and I don’t say that in a bad way because obviously Disney caters to the kids more than adults. So no real thrilling rides. The rides are more “story-telling” rides. We rode all the famous rides like the Haunted Mansion and The Pirates of the Caribbean. Marin’s favorite ride was the Magic Carpets from Aladdin. We also were able to meet the Disney Fairies. There was an hour wait to meet them but Shelly had a special medical pass that allowed us to jump the line so we only had to wait about 15 minutes. That was awesome because I don’t think I would have waited the hour just for autographs and photos.

We wanted to stay for the fireworks but we were just too tired since we had to get up early to get there for Marin’s boutique appt. We stayed until about 7:00pm and headed back. Marin didn’t want to go. We told her we needed to go to bed and she kept trying to find somewhere inside the park where we could sleep. On the monorail she fell asleep and Eric had to carry her to the car. She was exhausted!

The next day we took a break from Disney and went to Universal Studios. Their Islands of Adventure park had the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It was very cool as I am a huge fan of the books and movies. Marin was able to ride one of the roller coasters called The Flight of the Hippogriff. She loved it! They also had a Dr. Suess world for the kids which she also enjoyed. And in Jurassic Park area she rode a swing type ride with her NeNe and had a blast! We loved that place because it had a lot more rides than Disney and more rides for adults. We ate at a restaurant there called Mythos. It had a banner boasting that it was voted the best theme park restaurant in the world. It was very good. I actually had a cocktail that they had on special for $5 and it was delicious. After that we rode The Hulk rollercoaster which was not a good idea after drinking an alcoholic beverage. But it was still fun. This was definitely Eric’s favorite park since there was more stuff for adults.

We took a day off from all parks to recuperate. We did our shopping for souvenirs and Eric made us drive to find a Miami Subs for lunch since they closed all the ones in Texas.

The last park was Epcot which I didn’t think I would enjoy but was pleasantly surprised. The front of the park is Future World and it was ok. It had a few rides. I really liked the back part of the park where they have the different countries set up. That was definitely my cup of tea. I liked feeling like I was in a different country. We stayed there until the firework/laser show which was pretty neat.

If we ever go back to Orlando I think Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Universal Studios would be the only ones I would go to again. Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom were okay but I don’t think I would have a good time after having already experienced it.

Time to plan our next vacation…I am thinking maybe a cruise…