A day at Disney…

We had one day left on our Disney tickets and invited our BFFs to go with us. We decided on a day during AB’s last week of school, so she got to skip one of the half days.

We left the house early and made it to the Magic Kingdom just after 9:00. I know what everyone was thinking… they’re going to Disney in JUNE with FIVE kids?!?!?!

Some call us crazy – some call us adventurous. Whatever you call us, we survived it and had a great day.

I think our saving grace was going into with NO EXPECTATIONS.  We knew it was going to be 150 degrees and crowded, and we also knew we didn’t want to stay late and make a full day of it.

This was Whitt’s first trip and after riding the monorail to the Magic Kingdom, he declared it his favorite ride. :) It could have been that it was “his favorite color, John Deere green” though, that made him love the monorail.

We rented a stroller for he and Mamie as soon as we got there, and that might have been the wisest $30.00 I’ve spent in quite some time. I was worried the strollers would be hard to push and maneuver but it was a dream. I’d definitely rent one again.

We made our first stop to see Tinker Bell. The wait was 10 minutes and we checked off seeing a character on our list.

We hit the carousel, which is a MUST for Mamie. All the kids enjoyed it and Tucker was too big for his britches sitting up there like a big boy.

The big kids all took a turn trying to pull the sword out of the stone. This was right before our girls climbed up on top to get a better angle and the cast member had to come over and tell them to get down. Oops.

We did Enchanted Tales with Belle next. It was about a 30 minute wait, which Aunt Carrie helped pass quickly by dolling out gummy bears and gold fish. The kids all got parts and loved being in on the story. My girls were an enchanted portrait together. It made me so proud to see AB watching out for her little sister.

We hit the Little Mermaid ride next. Sleeping Tucker  rode with me and the big girls, while Whitt & Mames rode with Carrie.

We were going to wait to see Ariel, but the kids decided they’d rather spend their 45 minutes waiting for a ride, not a character.

Dumbo was next, who Whitt calls, “Jumbo.” The kids enjoyed playing on the playground while we waited and Carrie and I were happy to sit in the A/C for 20 minutes. We switched up and the littles rode with me and the big girls rode with Aunt Carrie on Dumbo.

After that, Aunt Carrie took one for the team, and rode the teacups with the gang.

We looked down at our watches and it was almost noon and we knew the street party parade would be starting so we headed to Mainstreet to see it. We got a great spot right by the castle and the kids had the best time dancing along.

We were soaked with sweat and the kids were fading fast. They’d all gotten up so early and mixed with the heat, they were just exhausted. I knew there was only one thing to save us… Dole Whips in Adventureland. To my surprise, they’ve move the Dole Whip stand to a giant one behind the magic carpets. The line moves SO MUCH FASTER. We waited no more than 3 minutes. It was just the cool treat we needed to rally and keep going. :)

The kids all wanted to ride the train, so we caught it in Adventureland and rode to the front on the park. There, we hit the Toon Town Theater to get in line for Mickey Mouse. We couldn’t pass on Mickey. The wait was touch and go, but worth it when we made it in to see the mouse.

We caught the monorail back to the parking lot (and let Whitt believe it was a “ride”) and headed home.

It was a fun little day trip and Carrie & I definitely flexed our momma-muscles on the way home and adjusted our capes – because we didn’t just survive it- we all had fun, too. (We agreed we’d never do it that way again, though! If we go back together, we’re spending the night and not going in June!) :)

 

~amw~