Day 7: Back to Magic Kingdom.

Today was our last day of vacation and we headed back to MK to see what we weren't able to see on Sunday. The rain held off until we left around 3:30, and the crowds wee SO much better. 

We started off in Tomorrowland and spent the morning there. We saw:

-Tomorrowland speedway (twice)

-Space Mountain (Maeve bravely joined me!)

-Astro orbiter

-People Mover

-Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin

-Monsters Inc Laugh Floor

-lunch at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe

After lunch we waited to meet Princess Merida from Brave. The kids lots of autographs and are eager to print the pictures and fill their autograph book. 

The twins and I then headed over to the Haunted Mansion, which they loved!  Beckett kept saying "I'm not scared, it's just pretend". 

We finished off our day by riding "It's a Small World"

Great day, sad to see our trip end!

Day 6: Animal Kingdom.

Oh, how we loved this park!  When I started planning this trip a year ago, this was the kind of day I dreamed of. It was all kinds of awesome. 

We headed straight to the Kilanmanjo Safari ride. It's a 20- minute drive through various African landscapes. Maren was beyond excited to see real giraffes, and we all enjoyed the elephants. Better pictures to follow when we get home!

We then took the Wildlife Express Train to Rafiki's Planet Watch where the kids spent the better part of an hour at the petting zoo. Beckett was especially fond of one sheep that kept trying to kiss him!

Before heading to our lunch reservation at Tusker House, the kids stopped to play the bongos!  At lunch, they got to meet Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Donald and Goofy. So much fun, and the food was great too. 

After lunch we walked the Pangani Forest exploration trail! which is filled with spectacular wildlife. We then headed over to Asia, where we rode the Kali River rapids not once, but twice!  The kids loved it so much they would have gone back a dozen times. They loved the risk of getting soaked, which happened to at least two people on every raft, depending on the orientation. There are no pictures as you have to lock up your belongings before you go!  But, here's an after picture of Maeve and Maren!

While we dried off, we walked the Maharajah Jungle Trek. The highlights were the gorillas and tigers. Unbelievably beautiful. Afterwards, the kids stopped to do some Indian dancing! And finally, I got to ride Expedition Everest, so I got my roller coaster fix. :)

As usual the kids fell into bed!  A great day. :)

Day 5: Outlet shopping and T-Rex!

Today was our "day off", and with an unseasonably cold temperature of 15, we took to the outlet malls.  I had lots of fun, and Brent patiently carted the kids around while I shopped. They were also good about waiting and good helpers when I needed a bag carried. ;)

Day 4: Hollywood Studios

We headed to Hollywood Studios today, and braved the early morning crowds. We thought we were there early enough, but we'd already missed the window for fastpasses for ToyStory Mania. Thankfully, the kids weren't too disappointed.

We saw:

-Disney Junior Live on Stage
-Backlot Tour
-Met Phineas and Ferb (a highlight for Maeve)
-Lunch at Pizza Planet
-Star Tours (Maeve and Brent)
-Muppets in 3D (Me, Maren and Beckett)
-Lights, Motors, Action

We returned back for our usual late afternoon swim before heading out to supper. Can't believe our trip is half over!

Day 3: Epcot

Lots of fun to be had at Epcot with slightly lower crowds and a more manageable sized park, we had a great day. We also took a bit more time to make a strategic touring plan so the kids didn't have to wait in as many lines. We were still DONE by 3 pm and ready to head back to the pool. 

Today's rides:

-The Seas with Nemo and Friends

-Living the Land

-Innoventions

-Grande Fiesta Tour starring the 3 amigos

-Agent P's World Showcase Adventure

-Soarin'

We also walked through most of the World Pavillion although the kids were less interested in the "grown up" stuff. 

The kids were treated to another Princess meal at Akershus, a restaurant in the Norwegian Pavillion. The girls loved it, although Beckett is starting to tire of all this princess stuff!  He also has developed an odd reaction to seeing a princess; he crawls over to them and sniffs their dress.....Belle took in in stride though and let him do his thing. Oh my...

Here are a fees highlights of our day:

The next best thing to a bench. 

Maeve and Daddy being silly...

Day 2: It's all about expectations

Today was a crazy day, full of ups and downs.

The day started at 3:30 for Maren who was unable to get back to sleep. So, our long awaited trip to Magic Kingdom was already off to a rough start!  But, we arrived  at MK for the girls' 9:00 am appointment at the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique. 

Maeve was a little unsure of the whole thing, overwhelmed by the size of the park. She was so shy that she didn't even want to put on her dress.  Maren loved every minute of the princess experience!

Then we started making our way through the parks. Crowds were high, and it was a HOT day so we were all hot and tired by lunch. So much so, that we even considered canceling our dinner at Cinderella's castle to head back to the hotel. But, we soldiered on and had a pretty good afternoon. All told, we rode:

-Merry Go Round (twice)

-Under The Sea

-Barnstormer (the kids all loved this junior roller coaster)

-Dumbo! 

-Pirates of the Caribbean (poor Maeve was terrified)

-Swiss Family Robinson tree House

-Tea Cup Ride

-Enchanted Tiki Room

-Jungle cruise

We ended the day with dinner at at Cinderella's Castleand the kids loved it!  Maren and Maeve got to meet all of the princesses and have pictures taken with them and Beckett even got a kiss from Ariel!

And, unbelievably the kids still had energy for a quick swim after we got home!  They fell into bed though and fell asleep within seconds. 

Maeve made my day by telling me that she saw a shooting star and wished for a perfect day like today. 

Tomorrow we're off to Epcot!