The Hall Adventures: The Disney Post

Okay 10 days after we got home here it is! Went to Disney for the 2nd time a couple of weeks ago. The trip was a surprise for the girls and we did not tell them until the morning we left. We recorded their reaction and just like our girls we got two totally different reactions. Lily jumped up and said lets pack and Rowan did not believe us. We had to show her the packed luggage and even then she confessed that until we go to the airport parking she did not believe us! Guess that's what we get for being the joking and teasing kind of parents that we are. Served us right.

Flight was at 400 in the afternoon and when all was said and done we were checked in to our hotel and out the door by 845pm headed to Magic Kingdom because it was open until 1230am. We managed to pack a few good rides in that night including seeing the new Fantasyland and getting on Under the Sea the Tales of the Little Mermaid. When we went to Disney in August of 2011 the new Fantasyland was still being built and you could not see any of it. The official opening was December 6, 2012 but was already open and functioning when we were there thankfully.

Saturday was our first full day in Disney. Last time we made alot of early morning breakfast reservations. This time we only made one and it was on our last full day there so we took advantage of that and slept in most days and stayed out late every night.

We spent Saturday at Magic Kingdom. We rode as many rides as we could and partook in a Disney tradition if you have daughters - Rowan and Lily got to go to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and were transformed into princesses. This year we had a Snow White dress for Lily and an Arial costume for Rowan, Rowan chose not to wear hers and I was not going to force her to.

After their makeovers we had reservations for dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table in the castle. A fitting dinner for two princesses.

A few more rides and we closed the park at 11pm that night - we were leaving It's a Small World as the park closed for the night and they have a time reminder when the park closes that I have never seen before - it was pretty cool!

Sunday was Hollywood Studios day. Not as many rides as at Magic Kingdom but some really good ones including Tower of Terror and the Rock 'n Roller Coaster - both of which Rowan rode and could not wait to ride again! Also home to the Star Wars themed Star Tours which all four of us loved, Lily maybe most of all! Dinner at Mama Melrose's that night gave us preferred seating to see Fantasmic in the theater which was just awesome.

Also at Hollywood Studios, the backlot area that is supposed to be reminiscent of a movie set in NYC, is completely transformed with Christmas lights. They are synchronized to music and are stunning to look at - worth the trip in my mind but I love Christmas lights, really gets you in the spirit.

Just as the park was closing that night we FINALLY got in the infamous Toy Story ride! Last year the fast passes were all gone by the time we got there (11am) - this year they were gone as well but since the park was open extended hours for resort guests we were able to get in line and only waited about 40 minutes at 1030 at night - crazy eh?? Totally worth it though - it was super fun and both girls loved it!

Monday it was back to Magic Kingdom where we got to visit with Santa and get his autograph - how many people can say they have that autograph in their Disney book??

Lots of rides that day and to Fort Wilderness that night for the Hoop Dee Doo Revue.

Lily unfortunately started to not feel well that night and I had to run to the store at the campground and get her some tylenol. She did not eat at all and had a decent fever but we stuck it out and enjoyed the show as best we could. Luckily there was a bus we could take directly from the show back to our hotel instead of having to go back to a park and transfer back to our hotel.

Tuesday we went to Animal Kingdom. Rowan rode Expedition Everest and loved it and we all rode the Kali River Rapids where Lily and I were in the hot seat and got drenched - not just wet, drenched! Thankfully that was the warmest day we were there so we did dry off but we had to get flip flops for the girls to wear so their sneakers could dry out after the ride!

Lunch at Tusker House again but now it is a character lunch so we met up with Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse and others.

Tuesday night we went back to Magic Kingdom for the Very Merry Christmas Party. This was an add on event that we had to buy separate tickets for. Was it worth it? No. Am I glad we experienced it at least once and saw it snow on Main Street? Yes. Free hot chocolate and cookies didn't hurt either! The show that turned the castle into a movie screen and the fireworks that followed were spectacular as well.

Wednesday - Epcot. We spent way too much time riding Soarin' and trying to ride Soarin' as much as we could but since Lily could ride it this time because of height it was worth it and we all love that ride.

Went through areas we missed last time around including one were Rowan got to design and then ride her own rollercoaster called the Sum of All Thrills! Dinner at the Garden Grill with Chip 'n Dale and Mickey and others got us tickets to something called the Candlelight Processional.. This took place at the American Pavilion in the World Showcase and was the story of the nativity told through spoken word and a very large choir signing Christmas carols/hymns. Every few days the guest speaker changes throughout the season - our speaker was Neal Patrick Harris, Dougie Howser! and he was awesome and funny and charming.

Thursday was our last full day of vacation so we went back to the Magic Kingdom. First we had our one and only early breakfast reservation that morning at the Grand Floridian's 1900 Park Fare for a character breakfast with Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland and others. Lily was very sick this morning and at first we were all going to skip it and then Parker told Rowan and I to go and he would stay with Lily and let her sleep a bit more in the hopes that that would help. Rowan and I took a bus and then hopped the monorail over to the resort.

We were one of the first people there and as a result of being at the front of the line Rowan was asked if she wanted to officially open breakfast that morning! She had to stand at the front and say "Supercalifragelistic" and the doors opened and Mary Poppins was there to greet her and take us to our table! First ones in - it was awesome!

After breakfast we went to Magic Kingdom where a recovering Lily and Parker met us. Did as much as we could that day including reservations at A Pirate's League where the girls could get transformed into pirates! Lily chose not to do it because she was not feeling well but Rowan did and embraced her inner pirate! It was such a cool experience and compared to the Boutique a way better value!

We fully explored the new Fantasyland that day and had a major stroke of luck and walked into the new Be Our Guest restaurant for a late lunch.

The day came to a close and we took the Disney train back to the exit to depart for the final time.

Friday we stuck close to the hotel, got late check out and then grabbed the Magical Express back to the airport for the flight home. Boooo.

Thoughts from this trip - still the most magical place on earth. Love it. We stayed at the Port of Orleans French Quarter this time. Hotel and grounds were really nice but again we hardly spent any time at the hotel so was it worth the extra money, I don't know to be honest. Buses were easier and less crowded most of the time but I think the food was better at All Stars. Next time we go it will be a toss up where we stay. Lily says she does not want togo back because she got sick and so now she associates Disney with being ill. Great. The new rollercoaster ride of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs does not open until sometime in 2014 so we won't be going before then anyway. Still think the free dining is worth it but again will probably do less characters next time and experience different places for a change. Need to spend more time at Epcot and really explore the World Showcase. Have not had a chance to really do that and hopefully when the girls are even older it will be easier. Lily was easier this time because she was taller so with the exception of a handful of big thrill rides she was not restricted to ride choices as much.

Last but not least this time around we got the Photo Pass but we got the Photo Pass Plus - this enabled us to get the pics off the rides we went on as well. Totally worth the extra $50 in my mind - and it is discounted if you buy it ahead of time. Here are the pics we got that otherwise would have cost us $15 a pop!