I did try to soak in some of the magic while making our way through Main Street, but it wasnt easy. After three straight days of rain and impending grad nights, I think everyone and his brother was at Magic Kingdom this morning. It was wall-to-wall people and for us New Englanders who had just left 48 degree cold, it seemed really hot and humid. We did manage to get the girls up to see Pinocchio, but it was kind of an awkward exchange. The CM wasnt too interested in the GAC and to be honest, we were uncomfortable pushing the issue. After all, it was our very first experience with it. The line was long and there was little shade, but the girls really wanted to wait, so wait we did.
Garth finally approached the CM a second time and politely explained that we have a child with heat intolerance and that we were under the impression that this wouldnt be a problem. Another short wait, and the girls were finally able to meet Pinocchio.
And then we saw it: Cinderella's Castle. The girls were thrilled.
Now for all the time I spent planning, I really didnt do a very good job of it. At least not for the short term. Once we made it up to the castle, we had to make a quick decision as to which way to go because we were getting swept up with the crowd. We decided on Tomorrowland and headed straight for Stitch figuring it was a good choice due to Alis affinity for the little alien. Bad, bad choice. The CM was very kind and got us right in. But, for a child with sensory issues, it just was not a good choice despite how much she loves Stitch. Not too long after we got in there, Ali was crying and begging to leave. Unfortunately this wasnt an option. She did survive and we made our way over to the Speedway.
This was a bit of a better experience. Ali and I rode together in one car and Maya and Garth rode together in another. Ali seemed to like it well enough, and Maya seemed to really enjoy herself. I was feeling pretty hot and stressed at this point, and honestly, I dont remember too much of it.
I do, however, remember Space Mountain. Maya insisted that she wanted to ride it with Garth. I insisted that this wasnt a good idea, especially considering she has never even been on a roller coaster before. However, I lost and off they went. While they were gone, I was stuck waiting with a very hot, very unhappy Ali. I tried to find some shade, but there was little to be found. So we waited and sweated. They finally exited and Maya was white as a sheet. Needless to say, she did not enjoy it and was not interested on going on rides after that. But after a quick snack and some drinks, we convinced her to head over to Fantasyland to ride Dumbo.
Before we reached Dumbo, we first arrived at the tea cups and decided to give it a whirl.
Ali LOVED it, as did Maya, so it was a nice break after our meh experiences with Stitch and Space Mountain. And right outside of the tea cups we saw Alice and the Queen of Hearts. Maya was eager to get their autographs, but Ali was not very happy and just wanted to get home. The CM was wonderful and took Alice aside to explain that Ali was feeling hesitant, so then Alice came over to us instead of having Ali walk to her. She got right down to Alis level, took her by the hand, and was able to elicit a few smiles.
It was really sweet. Ali was even willing to pose for a few pictures.
After that, we did make our way over to Dumbo, which the girls (and we) loved.
At this point, it was awfully hot and everyone was tired. Ali kept crying that she wanted to go home, so we decided to call it a day. But, not before stopping to see Peter Pan and Wendy on our way out. They were both wonderful, and the girls enjoyed getting their autographs. They liked the girls' autograph books (made with the help of Donatalie's disigns
), and spent some time looking through them.
We did get caught up in crowds as we tried to make our way out of the park. There was a parade going on, which made it very difficult to navigate our way towards the exit.
Random moment I did run into a friend of mine from high school who I havent seen in years! It was pretty wild. We finally made it back to the monorail (I didnt realize the ferry only runs in the morning and evening), and eventually to our car.
I really wish that Magic Kingdom would give wish families priority parking because even though we do not have a handicapped placard, those last twenty minutes were just a killer for Ali. She was a complete mess by the time we reached our car, and the rest of us were feeling defeated. At that moment, I didnt care if we ever made it back. I was hating Disney and just miserable in general. It was all I could do to not cry myself. But, as the adage goes, theres a silver lining to every cloud
lol I'm here and subbing too
Great start to your tr. Glad they enjoyed the plane ride.I miss all of those little coin rides. Don't seem many of them around here anymore. Your family is beautiful!
Ty feels the same way as Ali does with the Stitch ride. Dh had to take him out of there and he says he is not going anywhere near it this time either. I hope the rest of the trip is better for you all!!
