Return to Disney World

Yes, we went back for our fifth visit to Disney World. On the first night, we dined at my favorite restaurant, 1900 Park Fare, with Cinderella and her family.

Prince Charming

Cinderella

Lady Tremaine

Drizella

Anastasia

The stepsisters are hands down my favorite characters. 4 out of 5 times we have been to this dinner, they were so funny! This last time they were absolutely hysterical. If you can do only one character dinner, I recommend this one. 

Scavenger Hunt

You are probably aware that we go to Walt Disney World every year. It has never been a surprise and we  always have a countdown going, anxiously awaiting our next trip. We've considered Disneyland a few times, but always go back to Disney World, because the price isn't that much different, but the parks sure are. Well, the Lizard King earned free hotel nights and free airfare, so our trip is practically free! How could we not go to Disneyland?!

This time, we decided to make it a surprise. We began searching for a fun way to surprise Princess. There are a lot of ideas out there, but Princess loves a good mystery. We decided on a scavenger hunt with a puzzle.

I created the poster board puzzle and LK cut it into pieces. Then I came up with some poetic clues. Princess likes rhyming and I did my best. Here are the clues.

1

You walked into the room and what did you see?

A piece of a puzzle with the name Akee.

She could be found anywhere, yes that’s what I said, 

But there is one certain room she would lay her head.

2

A place for a Princess, where flowers grow inside,

Could this be the place where the next piece will hide?

Are you here? Did you find the room?

Look for the flower with the biggest bloom.

3

You go up, you down down, have you noticed the light?

If you do you might find something colored so bright.

You might need some help to reach this so high,

Perhaps Mommy or Daddy can hold you up toward the sky.

4

There is a room that’s intended purpose was to dine, 

but we made it a place where imagination can shine.

You are welcome to dress up, you can always dress down,

Open the treasure chest where you can find a gown.

5

You can wash them and dry them, you can hang them about,

This room is a room that we could not do without.

Open the door and look inside,

This place is a warm spot for the next piece to hide.

6

Go up, wait, go down to the room with the strainers, 

Then look in the place where we keep the containers.

It could be inside or maybe on top,

Keep looking and looking, you may have to hop.

7

Go toward the place where Santa Claus comes,

it’s warm and it’s cozy and its fan loudly hums.

Here you will find a small doggy bed,

Search around this spot for something red.

8

It’s big and it’s white, and was built with great care.

It lives in the same room as hockey with air.

You will find a closet that used to have games,

Towels can be found there, Mommy exclaims.

9

Now turn to the right one hundred eighty degrees,

Then walk forward eight steps, do it with ease.

Find the stand near your drums, look inside the book,

There you will find the last clue, take a look.

10

That’s just about it, you are nearly done.

But wait, can you tell me? Are you having fun?

The next piece is a scramble that you have to find,

It’s in the only room downstairs without a blind. 

Then I shot video of Princess doing the scavenger hunt. Sadly, it won't properly upload for me to post here. :(

I'll post pics soon from our weekend in Disneyland!

P.S. Akee is Princess' aunt, my sister.

Our New Year Getaway

We went to the

 We brought some entertainment . . .

a few board games . . .

and spirograph! I've been looking for this forever and it's finally available. I loved this when I was a kid.

Because of our food issues and the need to avoid gluten, we bring our own cooking supplies with us.

 

There was a lot of down time, something the Lizard King needed. You'd think I would have gotten a shot of that, but no. 

How did you celebrate the new year?

Disney World -- Day 10

We spent our last day at Magic Kingdom. Princess and I rode Thunder Mountain Railroad for the first time (and second). It became a new favorite.

Every time we go to Disney World we learn more. Ten days is definitely too long for us. We were exhausted, peopled out and in need of some good nutrition (less junk food). Next time we go for 7 days. We think it will be the perfect length. We did learn that September is a great time to go. The crowds were the lowest we've seen and we've been during the other "off" times. We'll also change the way we do the meal plan. We have always gone when Disney offers free dining and have upgraded to the deluxe plan. We ate way too much that way. Next time we'll go with the regular dining and pay for any extra meals we choose to add on. I wonder how the next trip will go and what we will learn in 2013.

. . . to be continued . . . next year!

Have a Disney Day!

Disney World -- Day 9

Breakfast again at Chef Mickey's! I love the gluten free Mickey waffles.

 And another day at Animal Kingdom. Princess' favorite ride was Primeval Whirl - yup, no pics of that!

 Princess and I loved Kali River Rapids. LK, not so much. Princess and I went on twice!

 Check out the cicadas we discovered!

. . . to be continued . . .

Disney World -- Day 8

Another day at Epcot, starting with breakfast at Akershus where we met the princesses again.

Epcot is a fabulous park with so much to do! It is one of my favorites for sure . . . even if we didn't take any more photos on this day.

. . . to be continued . . .

Disney World -- Day 7

Happy Birthday, Princess!! We celebrated Princess' 9th birthday at Magic Kingdom, beginning with a meet and greet with Merida from the movie Brave.

Breakfast at Crystal Palace . . . 

 Then the rains came. We realized the rain just wasn't going to let up any time soon, so we headed back to our room.

 . . . until dinner time. Princess' birthday dinner was at Cinderella's Royal Table inside Cinderella's Castle.

 Princess was presented with her royal tiara.

 Who doesn't love a Princess with a sword?!

 And we met almost all the princesses.

 Time to wish on the wishing star.

 We headed back out to the park after dinner for some after hours fun and Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. The parade was fabulous and worth every penny!!

It was truly a fabulous celebration. Last year in single digits. We'll be back at Disney World for for Princess' entry into double digits. My how time flies!

. . . to be continued . . .