Sunday, January 6, 2013

DISNEY!!!!

Finally! It's was a "go" for Disney!!! The weather was perfect and we were out the door by 7am! The traffic was still heavy, but we arrived just as the park was opening. No getting turned away for us! We went to the ticket booth, and were saddened to find out that we didn't qualify for discounted military tickets because we were only going to one park, for one day. I remember when we were eligible for FREE passes, but weren't able to take advantage of it while on Ft. Stewart. Oh well.

This was our first visit, so we all got "First Visit" buttons! The girl asked if it was anyone's birthday, and I told her it had been Alex's a couple of days ago, so she got a birthday button. Alex ratted me out and said it was my birthday in a couple of days, so I too got a birthday button. Bella was feeling left out (her birthday is in August!), so she got a "happily ever after" button with her name on it too! Suitably accessorized, and nearly $400 later...lol!..we got in line for the ferry boat ride to take us into the park.
Alex and Bella on the boat!

 
Me and Thomas on the boat!

Map in hand - we're ready to go!

 
Bella saw the castle in the distance and got SO excited!!!

Everything was still decorated for Christmas!

The parade was just starting as we arrived!

Bella wanted to watch the dancers, but I figured we'd get a jump on some lines.
Remember those birthday buttons we had? EVERYONE wished Alex & I Happy Birthday...all day long! It was really cool!

The gardens and landscaping were incredible!

 
Merida from Brave! In hindsight, I wish we had gotten in line then to see her, as the lines got CRAZY later and we didn't get to visit her. *sad face*

They are building a new ride, with a Snow White diamond mine theme, right now. Looks like a rollercoaster!

Mad Teacup ride!

A Disney Snuggie??? No thanks!

 
Talking to Alice and the White Rabbit!
This area looks like the movie "Beauty & The Beast".
 
Of course Bella rode on this!!

 
Parade of musicians!

Looking for a volunteer to pull the sword out!

He did it, lol!

 
Next, we show a cool 3D animated show!
The doors open "auto-MAGICally", lol!!!

With our 3D glasses, waiting to begin!
Bella was so funny reaching out to things!

The Beast's castle!

 
 
About to wait in line to see Ariel!

Bella talking to a REAL princess!
Totally entranced!!!!

I was so impressed with this actress! She really made Bella feel special!
 
Worth every minute we waited in line!!!

Thomas was purchasing some goodies for us, (birthstone jewelry and a Merida bow & arrow set for Bella!), and we waited by this fountain. It was so crowded in the stores and I needed some breathing room! We wanted to buy Bella the Merida costume and wig, but they didn't have her size in the dress. She was very good about it though, and wound up LOVING the bow!!! Surprisingly, it works really well!
One of my favorite shots of the day!

Moat around the castle.
 
Unlike EuroDisney in Paris, this castle is just a pathway, not a castle to explore. But they had incredible tile mosaics everywhere!!!! Just breathtaking! I was only able to capture this one shot though, as it was really packed and we had to hustle along.
 
After lunch, we hit up Adventureland next!

Alex & Bella waiting in line for the flying carpet ride!

Waiting in line (which is what we pretty much did all day!) for the Tiki Hut Show. This was my idea, and it was sooooo tacky it was kind of fun! At least Bella and I liked it, lol!

Talking and singing birds and plants!
 
 
 
Even the wooden totems and decorations sang!

Alex LOVES these movies!
This actor TOTALLY looked and sounded like Johnny Depp! Thomas & I watched the show while Alex & Bella were on the rollercoaster ride. We got some cool "pirate" stuff in the gift shop too!

 
There was still so much more to do and see, but they closed the park because it had reached maximum capacity (again!), and it was getting just too crowded. All the lines were 90 minutes + wait times and it just got to be too much. So we did a bit more shopping, including this stunning R2D2 hat that Alex is modeling! Thomas got one too, lol! I bought two "Mickey" hands pot holders - one set for me and one set for Alex. I got my fridge magnet (of course!) and some candy.

 
We rode the monorail back to the ticketing area. Bella thought that was really cool! I thought anything that didn't involve standing or walking was pretty cool!!!! It was a great day and I'm glad we finally got to visit!

6 comments:

Heatherlyn said...

You really do a great job with all the pictures and descriptions. I love it! I wonder if they charge so much for tickets to discourage people from coming because it gets so crowded? I was trying to figure out WHY Disney is so expensive and maybe (other than greed) that's the reason. But people still pay it and come and you end up still waiting hours for a 5 minute ride! Crazy! At least the ambiance is good!

Rita said...

I'm glad I can finally make comments on blogger now today. I have read everything and watched all the videos--the knights, the zoo, everything. What a trip!

When Dagan and I were there over 25 years (whew!) it was long before Johnny Depp and Ariel and such. But the Tiki Hut was still there and the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. It does look like it has changed a lot over the years in some respects--but not the long lines. ;)

ChicagoLady said...

Going to the Enchanted Tiki Room is always one of my favorite things to do at Disney. Looks like you had a lot of fun, despite the crowd.

Unknown said...

Awesome...now I am truly in need of a Disney trip! Another recenter moment! LOL Hopefully comic con in March helps!

AliceKay said...

I've never been to Disney World, but it looks beautiful. My son went there last year for their company's end of the year trip. He took lots of great pictures, so I was able to visit thru him.

Alison Scott said...

Looks like it was a wonderful trip.
We loved it when we went.
I loved the photo looking up to the castle (one of your favs too)