...and WE MUST GO!
Ever since our last Disney trip with just Harper in 2019, the "Disney Bug" has really never left our hearts; and so! THATISWHY, when my parents proposed a family vacation to Florida this summer and we landed a condo in Orlando, we jumped on the opportunity to squeeze in just.one.day at the Magic Kingdom with our two older girls. And boyyyyy, oh boy, was it perfect! Harper was stoked to be back where the magic happens, and Scarlett was over the moon excited for her first Disney experience!!! We arrived at the park about 30-45 minutes before it opened [thanks to following a list of tips and tricks from THE BEST Disney vacation planner, AKA my wonderful cousin!] and hit the ground running from there! After a ferry ride into the park...
...we were headed to the very back of the park to use our first Lightening Lane pass on the Barnstormer. On the way, Scarlett noticed that the Mad Tea Party teacups ride had no line. So! Of courseeee, we made a detour to hop on those making that her first ride of the day/first Disney ride of her life...
...and she was hooked...
.......and the rest was history!
Magic here, magic there, magic, MAGIC everywhere!!! Despite the crazy [Florida in July] heat, our little princesses were TROOPERS for the entire day. We were able to successfully use Genie+ to get on a total of 21 [!!!] rides for the day with minimal wait times in line for the rides that we didn't score a Lighening Lane pass for! An indoor/sit-down ride allowed us to cool off with a spritz of A/C and conserve enough energy to emerge back into the sweltering heat until we made it to another indoor/sit-down ride within the hour!
At lunch time, we had a little FaceTime session to check on our littlest princess who stayed home to relax with Grammy and Papa inside the air-conditioned condo! Win-win-winnnnnning for all! :) I was 0% envious of all the parents I saw walking around with newborns and heck -- even kids <4 years old, because it literally looked like pure misery for all parties involved and I already know that that is never the way we'll do Disney!!!
From smiling ear-to-ear to squeezing in a quick nap on Daddy's shoulder in the second longest line of the day [35 minutes to ride Pirates of the Carribean for the second time!], this 4-year-old princess barely missed a beat!
The girls and I also soaked up some A/C in the Baby Care Centers throughout the day while we had to take a couple breaks to pump! #momlife #keepingitreal #pumpanddumpandruntothenextride
The longest line we stood in all day was to meet Cinderella, but it was definitely a highlight!!! We separated during this time so Brian could run off solo and ride Space Mountain; not sure whyyyyyy he wasn't super stoked to see Cinderella up close and personal, but #HISLOSS! I absolutely loved watching both girls' faces light up as they got to see such a beautiful, kind and "real-life princess!" :D
^^ Only a few crocodile tears were shed by Harper after she realized that Cinderella
signed her autograph book with Scarlett's pen which had black ink
instead of light blue ink [because Cinderella is "a light blue princess,"
YOU KNOW...]..... But after a quick "snap out of it" pep talk and a "let's get some dinner before the meltdown continues to melt," all was swell in the world again and we were off to conquer the rest of the park!
Except! Dark rain clouds moved in in a hurry around 5pm, and the sweltering heat turned into POURING rain all in a matter of the five minutes that the girls and I were on the carousel! When the ride ended, we sprinted to the closest shelter which just happppppened to be the "meet the princesses" pavilion that we had just exited 10 minutes prior. We were sopping wet and the pavilion was air conditioned with another 45-minute wait to see Princesses Tiana and Rapunzel............. What to do??! Option A was to run back through the downpour to the restaurant on the other side of the carousel where Brian was waiting for us inside to place order for dinner; option B was to brave the A/C inside the pavilion even though we were soaking wet and freezing so as to see two more princesses and also use the pavilion as a rain shelter until the storm moved out! I explained the options to the kids, and they immediately ruled out running back through the rain. We decided to come to grips with the fact that we were soaking wet/freezing cold in the A/C and GET OVER IT LIKE THE BUNCH OF BAD@$$ES THAT WE ARE so as to put it behind us and continue making the best of the time we had left at the park. Dear Lord, I love these two little girls and their determination and drive so so much! Needless to say, we snuggled close in the 30-minute line trying to use each other to stay warm, and by the time we made it to the front of the line to see Princess Tiana, we were halfway dry and all the way happy again!
Next was Rapunzel, and Scarlett was amazed at her hair!
Then! Finally! We emerged from the princess pavilion for the second time, and the downpour had fizzled out to only a "moderate sprinkle" so to speak. We decided to make a run for it to the restaurant where Brian was -- only making a 5 second pit-stop at the carousel along the way to retrieve our dripping wet stroller! After a couple of flatbreads and a basket of breadsticks, we wrung the rest of our belongings out and adventured back out for for ride #4 on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad!!! #FAMILYFAVE
Due to the lightening that accompanied the storm, the firework show scheduled for 9:20pm was delayed. But we didn't mind, as we kept packing in the rides!!! Ride #5 of Big Thunder and also a 10:05pm stab at Splash Mountain?! Don't mind if we do!
At 10:20pm, the firework show began...
Scarlett fell asleep in the soaking wet stroller during the fireworks, but we plucked her out for our final Lightening Lane pass on Peter Pan's Flight at 10:50pm! She didn't move a muscle but surely enjoyed the ride limp on my shoulder. ;) :)
When we exited the last ride, the park was officially closed and we forged our way to the entrance, back through the line for the ferry boat, and made the final stretch to the van where Grammy Resa was waiting to pick us up at 11:30pm! Both kids were passed out cold in the stroller by then [but we did wake them up upon arriving to the van to change out of their soggy shorts and undies into fresh, dry PJs!!!].
Ahhhhhhhh, the most exhausting day ever, but most certainly jam-packed with the most magical memories that are sure to last a lifetime! I loved opening and closing the park with this crazy family of mine... Despite heat and crowds and rain and lines, we were able to focus on the highs of the day and quality time with each other, and I will treasure the memories forever!
Video clips over here!
The magic was calling...........AND WE WENT!!! :)
