Sunday, March 20, 2011

We're back!

I know. I know! I've been missing forever! And yes, we've been back for a while.

I took a lot of photos on our Disney World vacation, nearly 400. After weeks of work, I narrowed it down to 67, then down to 24 and was only able to do that by making a lot of collages. Here is our vacation in order (mostly . . . deal with it ;-).

The Lizard King had a conference the first two days, so Princess and I met up with some old friends who have moved very close to the most magical place on earth. Princess and I were thrilled to be able to spend time with them. The girls had so much fun. And so did the moms!

Day 1, breakfast at Crystal Palace with Winnie the Pooh and friends.


After breakfast, we caught up with our friends. We had a great time exploring Magic Kingdom and even did a scavenger hunt in "It's a Small World".



Day 2, breakfast at one of our favorite spots, Chef Mickey's. The Lizard King was able to join us for breakfast . . . he made the time. It's one of his favorites as well.



Over in Epcot, Princess got to meet Terrence! They had to move the fairies to Epcot because Fantasyland is going through a major expansion that will double its size! This is the biggest Magic Kingdom expansion/renovation that Disney has ever done.


We found Rapunzel's tower . . .


and the girls saved the world in a Kimpossible Mission, using Kimmunicators! Here they are saving Mexico from the evil Dr. Drakken.


Dinner that night was at 1900 Park Fare, our favorite dinner spot. We met Prince Charming,  the step-sisters, Anastasia and Drucella, and step-mother, Lady Tremaine. The step-sisters are always a hoot and are our favorites by far.


Cindy's not so bad either . . .
The castle photos were taken from our balcony.


That night, the Lizard King surprised Princess with a Minnie dress that she had been eyeing since the first day.


Day 3, breakfast at Akershus in Epcot. We got to meet Belle, Snow White, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Ariel and Cinderella (again).


The Flower and Garden Festival started. Walking through the fairy garden to meet some more fairies, I snapped these. They had characters and flowers like this throughout Epcot. It was so cool!


Princess' drum teacher asked for one souvenir, a photo of Princess with her drumsticks in front of something showing where she was. We went to three parks, so we snapped three photos - Epcot, Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. We'll go back to Animal Kingdom next time. Yes, we are already planning next time. And yes, we started talking about next time on day 3 of this trip. I told you we were Disney junkies!

(This is where things start to get a little out of order.)


Day 4, Hollywood Studios

Princess went on the Tower of Terror and LOVED it! My parents met up with us for the day!


Carousel at Magic Kingdom (day 3)


We didn't get to meet Tink, but I was able to snap this photo from afar. The fairies are out of Pixie Hollow due to the Fantasyland renovations, so we were only able to meet one or two at a time. The fairies' schedules made it impossible to meet all the fairies and go on rides. (Day 3)


We did get to meet Vidia and Rosetta. They were a total crackup! (Day 3)


Day 4 breakfast at Hollywood & Vine. Princess met Oso (the bear . . . I have no idea who he is), Leo (who wrote "glasses rock" in Princess' autograph book), June and Handy Manny.


We had a lovely time with my parents.


Princess had a blast playing in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids, until she got lost for her first time ever. LK and I got a little worried when she went into a cave and didn't come out for a long time. She had taken my iPhone to use the flashlight app, so we tried to call her. LK finally crawled in to look for her. A few minutes later Princess found me and ran up to me, obviously shaken. After that, she was done with that attraction. LK came out a little bit later, having smashed his head. It seems the caves are not designed for adults.


Day 5, our last morning, we had breakfast at 1900 Park Fare where we met Alice and the Mad Hatter.


Mary Poppins . . .


and took a family photo with Tigger.


And yes, not one single photo of me. That's what happens when you're the one with the camera! Maybe next year. Now, I hope to get back to regular posting and reading! I've missed you all!

9 comments:

  1. Looks like an awesome trip. Love all the photos but you have to get in some next time. Our first Disney trip is coming up soon. We are doing many of the same character meals. I'm so excited.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh Secret Mom! I am SO excited for you!! What character meals have you reserved? I'm happy to offer any feedback or tips, if you're interested.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a fabulous time!!! I am so grateful that so far, dd hasn't even heard of Disney. It's just SO far and SO expensive. I used to go every other winter, and it's something I wish I could give my kids; I know they'd love it. The older kids got to go - "take grandkids to Disney" was on my father's "bucket list." :-o
    I've definitely missed your updates... looking forward to seeing more.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jennifer, if you ever have the opportunity, save your pennies and go. It is such an amazing time!

    It's good to be back and I'm looking forward to reading some blog posts, too! :) Thanks for sticking with me.

    ReplyDelete
  5. WOW, it certainly is a magical place:) One little princess certainly seemed to have had a wonderful tme, judging by the smile she wore in the photos:)

    ReplyDelete
  6. You did take a lot of photos. I love it! I very rarely get myself in the picture either. Most times I actually prefer it that way.

    Besides looking like she had an amazing time, Princess looked great in all of her Disney outfits. Just like the grown-up princesses!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jessica, I think it gets better every time we go! We are already counting the months until our next trip. We have a while until the next one though - September 2012. FUN!

    You know what Aliceson, I kind of like not being in the pictures, too. ;-) Still, I'd like to be in one every once in a while, ya know, just to see that I was there, too.

    Costume changes were the order of the day almost everyday! Fortunately they're not heavy, because I often had a costume or two in my backpack. A girl has got to be prepared for anything!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh, you were missed too!

    What awesome photos. My favourites are the ones with Princess and the Pooh gang.

    Wow, there's so much to do there. Thanks so much for sharing. Makes living vicarious a little easier. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Awww....shucks! Thanks, Sheri!

    Yes, there is so much to do there. We didn't get to do even come close to doing everything...there is so much more that we wanted to do, but just didn't have enough time. That is why next time we're planning to go for A LOT longer. :D

    ReplyDelete