Whitley's Week: Disney Day Four (and a half)

Good morning, Magic Kingdom!

For our last full day, we were back at Magic Kingdom. We watched the train roll in, and then I raced to get in line for Merida while Tom and Whitley rode Peter Pan one last time. (This was the same plan as last year.) Well, it was a great plan, because Whitley was first to meet Merida that day. And it was one of the sweetest moments of the trip, in my eyes. Merida immediately commented on Whitley's hair, and they talked about how annoying it is to have a mom who wants to brush it all the time. Merida said they were so alike and asked Whitley to be her sister! The two hugged and hugged, and Merida even kissed Whitley's forehead and wrote an extra message in her autograph book: "Be brave. All my love, Merida." Tom and I couldn't believe the special treatment our baby got. She was on cloud nine! After that, we headed over to Tomorrow Land to ride a few things there we don't usually try. The rockets on Astro Orbiter were really fun, with a great view of the park, and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin is an exciting game. Then we fit in quick turns on Pirates of the Caribbean and the Magic Carpets of Aladdin before heading back to Fantasy Land for lunch at Be Our Guest. This restaurant inside the castle of Belle and the Beast gets great reviews and is pretty new, so we were expecting a crowd. Sure enough, there was a line when we arrived at 10:45, but it moved quickly. You order lunch on a kiosk and then wait in one of three rooms in the castle. The Beast's West Wing was full, so we sat in the ballroom. It was lovely with chandeliers, a golden floor, and "snowflakes" falling outside the windows. Tom and I really enjoyed our sandwiches, too, so we were happy we made a point to eat there. After lunch, we rode the Haunted Mansion and Big Thunder Mountain before taking the shuttle back to the resort. It had been a warm, sunny morning, so Tom took Whitley swimming. Our resort's pool was closed for repairs, but a golf cart was shuttling people next door to Port 'Orleans: Riverside. I stayed behind to pack a little and check us in for our flight home. When I stepped outside to go to the pool, it was raining! But by the time I arrived at Riverside, the rain had subsided. The weather didn't stop Whitley, though. She was enjoying the water slide way too much! Tom commented, that even with the rain, it was warmer than when the two swam last year at Disney. Around 4:30, we left The French Quarter and rode over to The Contemporary Resort for dinner at Chef Mickey's. It was a buffet with the main mouse, as well as Goofy, Pluto, Minnie and Donald. After we pigged out for the last time, we entered the park once again for a final night of "Magic!" We rode a few rides in Fantasy Land before watching the show projected on the castle, "Celebrate the Magic." (That show is my favorite. It's so amazing what they can do! And it's all the best tunes. This year they added, "Let it go!") We caught the fireworks, too, and rode Big Thunder and Pirates before the Electrical Parade at 9:00. The park wasn't as empty as last year, but it was still pretty quiet. We didn't have any problem nabbing a spot for the parade. It was hard to leave the park that night, but we had to get to bed. After all, we weren't done quite yet!

Our last morning, we got up a bit earlier so we could check out of the hotel and still have time to go to Hollywood Studios. We were happy to have an afternoon flight this trip so we had enough time to hit Toy Story and Star Tours before leaving. Sure enough, we rode both rides twice and got to meet Sully and Mike from Monsters' University. On our second trip on Star Tours, Whitley was identified as a spy for the Rebel Alliance. Her little picture was on the screen. :)

The days at Disney were full and flew by. What a wonderful family vacation! We felt so fortunate to have the opportunity to go and be together once again in the "happiest place on earth." And I have to say, we're getting to be professionals at it. :)

Thanks, honey, for planning it all! Whitley and I are so lucky!