Downtown Disney

We took a day off of going to parks after we went for two days straight.  It was so nice to sleep in a little and for everyone to relax. Plus we promised Sam that after the Princess dinner, we would do a "boy thing".  And BOY, did we ever?!  At Downtown Disney, there is a restaurant called T-Rex Cafe.  It was awesome.  They have a meteor shower every 20 minutes complete with lightning and thunder.  Isabel wasn't a fan of that part but everything else was cool.  I took many pictures.  All of the dinosaurs/animals in the restaurant are animatronic and make sounds/move. Also, the room called the Ice Cave changed colors from blue to purple to pink.  It was fun.  After lunch, they had a Build-a-Dino store attached to the restaurant (yes, it's a Build-a-Bear affiliated store).  Again, Sam was in heaven! 

this was an entrance to the World of Disney store



this was another entrance to the World of Disney store and the Stitch spits on you...yes, he got me!



the ladies' room

the men's room

one side of the table-not enjoying the meteor shower

the other side....so happy to eat with the dinosaurs!

made out of legos!

really!

made out of legos!

MADE OUT OF LEGOS!!!!

The lego store was mega-expensive and most stuff you can get at WalMart but the stuff built around the store was VERY cool!

We spent the rest of Wednesday back at the villa, napping and swimming.  It really was a fun time.

Magic Kingdom and THE Castle!

We decided to take two days to visit the Magic Kingdom.  I figured that our kids just weren't at an age to enjoy Epcot so we skipped it altogether.  Yet again, we got ourselves up early and hit the park at about 8:15am.  The gates opened at 9:00 and we immediately split up.  Sam, Isabel and I went to Winnie the Pooh and Kalen and Kurtis went to get fastpasses to Peter Pan.  Advice: hit those two rides early!  We actually rode Winnie the Pooh once before Kurtis and Kalen made it back and went around a second time with them....all before 9:30!  Another bonus: when getting fast passes to Peter Pan, we got bonus passes for Philharmagic!  I didn't plan on doing this b/c it is a 3D show and I thought my kids wouldn't like it.  Sam, Izzy and I loved it.  We even went back the second day in Magic Kingdom and did it again.

We lucked out considerably when we went back toward Cinderella's Castle in an attempt to find Rapunzel.  Everyone we saw said that there had been a line for about 60-90 minutes for Rapunzel.  We jumped in line and only had to wait about 20 minutes.  Again, we were lucky!

Sam didn't want a pic with Rapunzel and Flynn Rider was out looking for apples for Maximus but Sam did get a picture with Pascal!

Another tip: I thought Isabel would get hot walking around in her "Rapunzel dress" so I rolled it up and kept in my bag.  When we jumped in line to meet her, I threw the dress over Izzy's head and away we went.  Rapunzel commented on how Izzy and she were wearing the same dress:)  Oh, and the dress at Disney was $65; I bought Isabel's at Huber Heights Walmart for $20!

We then went on the Prince Charming's Royal Carousel which Kalen LOVED!  Check out photos of him smiling.  The line for Dumbo the Elephant was about an hour so we skipped it until our last day.  Then of course, we headed to It's a Small World:) Sam said that it was one of his favorite rides!

We did watch a stage show right in front of Cinderella's castle and though it was crowded, it was really neat and my kids loved it.  Even if you don't think your kids will watch something like that, they surprise you in Disney.  I also have to admit that as we were walking up Main St in the Magic Kingdom, Cinderella's Castle came into view and I began to cry a bit just b/c I was there with my kids and my husband.  It was an awesome experience. Unfortunately, there is construction in the Magic Kingdom and all my pictures from that day have a big crane coming out of the castle:(
We were smart and got fast passes to meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse, then rode the Railroad around Magic Kingdom and came back for fast passes to meet Cinderella, Belle, and Princess Aurora!

The ultimate finale to our day in Magic Kingdom came when we went to the "Happily Ever After Dinner" with Cinderella, Prince Charming, the wicked stepmother and stepsisters.  No, we did not eat in Cinderella's Castle.  This was at the Grand Floridian.  It was a buffet and it was cheaper!  Plus Isabel was just so happy at that moment.  I don't think I've ever seen her smile so big or get so excited in her life.  Cinderella also danced with Isabel during the dinner and Izzy is the only girl that got to do that.  It was an expensive dinner but it was worth every single penny for Isabel to get to enjoy that opportunity!  The stepmother asked Isabel how many horses her brothers each owned b/c she was thinking of marrying the stepsisters off to Kalen and Sam.  Needless to say, we didn't own enough horses to get an honorable mention but it was fun just the same:)

Prince Charming

Cinderella

Lady Trumaine aka the Wicked Stepmother

Anastasia

Drusilla

A mermaid, some chipmunks, and Mickey Mouse!

Once we were "star wars-ed out", we promised Isabel that we would do something girly so we headed to the other side of Hollywood Studios so see The Little Mermaid show.  We were sidetracked a few times.  As we were walking around we saw a line for some "nutty" guys named Chip and Dale!  They are my dad's all-time favorite characters so we were sure to stop for a photo and some autographs.

Next we hopped in line for a girls only pic with Minnie Mouse.  Please note that she is in her "hollywood studios" dress.  The characters are always dressed to fit in with whichever park they are attending.

After that we decided to get lunch and then, yet again, we were sidetracked before the Mermaid and went to see Disney Junior on stage.  This featured Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, Little Einsteins, and Jake and the Neverland Pirates.  If there was one thing that Kalen would like about DisneyWorld, this would be it.  It was totally up his alley. First off, Kalen LOVES Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!  He just can't get enough of it. Most of the pictures I have are just of him smiling, clapping, and being fully in awe of this stage show.  We all sat on the floor and occassionally bubbles and confetti would rain down on you.  Isabel and Sam also enjoyed it but really, this was our one "do this for Kalen" event.  I love the following picture of him getting VERY EXCITED!

Handy Manny

Little Einsteins



Jake and the Neverland Pirates



When we finally left this show (it was about 30 minutes), we headed directly to the Little Mermaid show.  I only have pictures of the sign b/c they would not allow flash photography in the theater.  It was about 15 minutes and was essentially a movie of the movie.  There was a real-live Ariel on stage for part of the show and the girl could sing.  For a brief moment, I got teary-eyed and thought "this is what I would do if I had a chance to do anything as a career".  It was the first of many times that I thought I could work at Walt Disney World and be happy every day of my life.  I could sing like this and just enjoy the joy of others around you.  It was cool. They also had dancers dressed in black with a black light on stage and danced to "Under the Sea". Kurtis was very impressed with how they staged it.  It was just a neat show and Isabel, of course, was in seventh heaven!

Our kids were starting to get tired by 2pm and honestly, it was heating up outside.  We made a hasty decision to hunt down Phineas and Ferb and then call it a day.  Unfortunately, we didn't realize that it was a 45 minute wait for Phineas and Ferb.  It was one of the longest lines we endured in the entire trip but it was fun and hey, we got their autographs!

After that, we called it a day.  We headed home for a nap, some dinner and then spent the evening swimming.  I highly recommend for anyone who goes to Disney with toddlers to keep your days short and just swim or hangout in the evenings. The babies will be happier and so will the parents!