Ok, we don't hate Disney. 
However, we don't really care about the fab 5. Disney is a vacation for us, not a religious experience. Disney purists avert your eyes!
Saturday July 21st
We left Miami at 3am. The girls were so hyped that they only slept half of the ride there. We checked into Port Orleans Riverside around 7am and used the lobby restroom to brush teeth and change into our matching shirts. I liked the fabric paint shirts better than the Mickey head shirts.
DS turned 4 today and his shirt said "Birthday Boy!" on the back and had a picture of a giant cupcake.
We drove to Magic Kingdom so DS could ride the monorail. Bag check was a breeze and was for every park we visited. Pack your water! We went through 12 bottles our first day.
We easily scored a spot to wait near the park entrance. When the park opened, the adults running to Space Mountain were cucoo for cocoa puffs! I kept one woman from falling on her face! Relax folks! No ride is worth a twisted ankle or a broken arm!
Cast members greeted DS all the way into the park. He received Happy Birthday's from everyone. We walked onto Speedway, Dumbo (twice), and Barnstormer. The new Dumbo tent is so stinkin cute! Loved it! Especially loved that for some bizarre reason, no one was there! 
We rode the teacups and then waited in a short line to see Alice and the Rabbit. EXCELLENT CHARACTER INTERACTION! DS was nervous about the rabbit and the castmember took time to approach him gently and coax him into posing for a picture.
We started walking to Buzz Ranger Spin and saw the talking trashcan. The trashcan greeted DS and wished him Happy Birthday. Priceless.
The CM for Buzz also gave DS a big HB greeting. This was another walk on ride.
I think it was only 10am when we walked back towards the castle. We were breezing through Magic Kingdom! We took pictures in front of the castle. I wanted to pick up a set of the magic cards and as we were heading back up Main St, we ran into the Mayor. He and the costumed ladies spent a good 5 minutes talking to us and wishing DS a Happy Birthday.
Got the magic cards and the kids really enjoyed it! During cooler months, this game would certainly entertain big kids for a couple of hours. We headed to POC followed by Jungle Cruise. More walk ons! The CM for Jungle Cruise was delightful and made the corny jokes funny.
MK was starting to fill up so we decided to park hop. We had a snack break in the car and drove to AK. We walked onto Safari. Everyone enjoyed this ride. We had lunch at Flame Tree BBQ. Chicken was delicious! Ribs okay. Sides were gross. We pitched them.
We walked to Dino land after lunch and discovered that Dinoland is ONE GIANT PARKING LOT WITH NO SHADE. Avoid! Walking there after the shade of the Africa section really drained us. They have a Dumbo like ride and it was sizzling hot! We stopped in the Dino gift shop and it was the weakest store in all the parks. Awful!
I strongly suggest visiting AK in the evening. The theme of the park is gorgeous. It is the perfect place to stroll and take in the sights. We headed to our room. On the tram ride back to the parking lot, we were seated in the last row. The CM noticed DS's shirt and chatted with us. When she discovered it was his real birthday, she announced it to the tram full of guests and led everyone in singing Happy Birthday to DS.
DS said it was the best birthday ever! Did I mention he turned 4?
But really, everything went perfectly. We never had to wait more than 5 minutes for anything. Waiting for the park to open was the hardest part of our day.
However, we don't really care about the fab 5. Disney is a vacation for us, not a religious experience. Disney purists avert your eyes! Saturday July 21st
We left Miami at 3am. The girls were so hyped that they only slept half of the ride there. We checked into Port Orleans Riverside around 7am and used the lobby restroom to brush teeth and change into our matching shirts. I liked the fabric paint shirts better than the Mickey head shirts.
DS turned 4 today and his shirt said "Birthday Boy!" on the back and had a picture of a giant cupcake.
We drove to Magic Kingdom so DS could ride the monorail. Bag check was a breeze and was for every park we visited. Pack your water! We went through 12 bottles our first day.
We easily scored a spot to wait near the park entrance. When the park opened, the adults running to Space Mountain were cucoo for cocoa puffs! I kept one woman from falling on her face! Relax folks! No ride is worth a twisted ankle or a broken arm!
Cast members greeted DS all the way into the park. He received Happy Birthday's from everyone.
We walked onto Speedway, Dumbo (twice), and Barnstormer. The new Dumbo tent is so stinkin cute! Loved it! Especially loved that for some bizarre reason, no one was there! We rode the teacups and then waited in a short line to see Alice and the Rabbit. EXCELLENT CHARACTER INTERACTION! DS was nervous about the rabbit and the castmember took time to approach him gently and coax him into posing for a picture.
We started walking to Buzz Ranger Spin and saw the talking trashcan. The trashcan greeted DS and wished him Happy Birthday. Priceless.
The CM for Buzz also gave DS a big HB greeting. This was another walk on ride.
I think it was only 10am when we walked back towards the castle. We were breezing through Magic Kingdom! We took pictures in front of the castle. I wanted to pick up a set of the magic cards and as we were heading back up Main St, we ran into the Mayor. He and the costumed ladies spent a good 5 minutes talking to us and wishing DS a Happy Birthday.
Got the magic cards and the kids really enjoyed it! During cooler months, this game would certainly entertain big kids for a couple of hours. We headed to POC followed by Jungle Cruise. More walk ons! The CM for Jungle Cruise was delightful and made the corny jokes funny.
MK was starting to fill up so we decided to park hop. We had a snack break in the car and drove to AK. We walked onto Safari. Everyone enjoyed this ride. We had lunch at Flame Tree BBQ. Chicken was delicious! Ribs okay. Sides were gross. We pitched them.
We walked to Dino land after lunch and discovered that Dinoland is ONE GIANT PARKING LOT WITH NO SHADE. Avoid! Walking there after the shade of the Africa section really drained us. They have a Dumbo like ride and it was sizzling hot! We stopped in the Dino gift shop and it was the weakest store in all the parks. Awful!
I strongly suggest visiting AK in the evening. The theme of the park is gorgeous. It is the perfect place to stroll and take in the sights. We headed to our room. On the tram ride back to the parking lot, we were seated in the last row. The CM noticed DS's shirt and chatted with us. When she discovered it was his real birthday, she announced it to the tram full of guests and led everyone in singing Happy Birthday to DS.
DS said it was the best birthday ever! Did I mention he turned 4?
But really, everything went perfectly. We never had to wait more than 5 minutes for anything. Waiting for the park to open was the hardest part of our day.
