Disney World

March 29, 2018/Nat

Lilly’s first time at Disney caused quite a quarrel in our home- but that’s nothing new 😉 Since she was only 2.5, Zach was convinced we should wait to take her. Being a complete Disney freak and with a family that was already headed there, I argued otherwise. And guess who won? Mama. Mama won. And therefore everyone did.

However, as much as it pains me to admit it, he may have been right. While you’ll never convince me that travel, time together or a trip to Disney is ever a bad idea, Lilly might have benefitted a bit if we waited another six months or so. She just wasn’t down with the rides. Not even the tame ones. You know you’re in trouble when It’s a Small World is treacherous. Having said that, she loved meeting the characters, running around the park, eating all the snacks and spending copious amounts of time in every toy shop.

But this time around, at 4.5, she was the perfect age. And, after having experienced a major move, change in schools, a new sibling, we had the perfect excuse: A Big Sister Trip. Just the three of us. Like old times. She got to miss some school, escape life with her little brother (who stayed with my parents) and, once again, be the sole focus of our family.

She, of course, needed her own (themed) suitcase for her big girl trip.

Since we arrived in the afternoon and didn’t want to hit the park for only half a day, we opted to head to Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney), which was a favorite last time.

The next (full) day, it as time for Hollywood Studios!

(Since we didn’t want to leave my parents for too long or take her out of too much school, we only did two days at the park. Next time, Ollie’s first and when Lilly’s a bit older, we’ll likely go for longer, perhaps the full week. We opted for Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom based on what she’s into right now- Disney Jr. and princesses.)

This time, she loved the rides as much as everything else, which meant we all got the full experience. She’s even started to get into princesses and dress up, which she wasn’t before so she was into all the characters. We started showing her more Disney movies leading up to the trip so she’d be more into it. And, as an added element, we broke out my autograph book from when I was a little girl so she could flip through and talk about it and then bought her one of her own, which was, hands down, the highlight for me. To see her get so excited about getting a new signature, read her book several times a day, have a mission and accomplish it… It was thrilling for us both.

Like last time, we did breakfast with the characters, which, I think, if you have young kids, it’s a must. It’s one thing for them to wait in a line and walk up to one of their favorites but for them to walk up to their table while they’re eating and spend one-on-one time with them, it’s really special. It’s a really civil, calm, controlled, productive and fun way to see some characters.

Unlike last time, she now has a full blown obsession with Doc McStuffins, insisting she’s her, wanting to be a vet when she’s older, that we knew that was the meal we needed to be at (last time we did Winnie the Pooh at Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom, which is also great) so we headed to Hollywood Studios for dine with the Disney Jr. characters. It was our first thing on our first day and, honestly, we could’ve gone home after that, it was entirely worth the trip. I’ll never forget her expressions and reaction. Priceless.

Unfortunately, we sat near a window, I only had my iPhone, it was bright and the photos are pretty bad quality.