Disney Surprise

Being that we were in Jacksonville meant that we were just 2.5 hours from Orlando where Uncle Jeff lives.  We couldn't go all that way without making the trip to see him.  And being that Uncle Jeff lives in Orlando means that Disney World is in his backyard.  We couldn't make the trip to see Uncle Jeff without trying to visit Disney.  We decided that we'd wake up in the wee hours the morning on our last day in town and drive over.  The kids had no idea what was in store.  They only knew we were going to visit Jeff and Reese didn't associate Orlando with Disney. 

They were both so exhausted that they fell asleep about a half hour into the drive and lucky for us they didn't wake up until we were pulling through the gates of the park.  Reese saw a small roadside sign as we pulled in and asked "what is Magic Kingdom?".  I answered "Magic Kingdom is the name of Uncle Jeff's apartment complex" but knew if I didn't tell her soon she'd figure it out.  I captured her sweet reaction on video.


At this point we woke Talan up and I got his reaction on video, too.  Not what we expected!


Talan soon perked up and realized where we were.  We knew it would be hectic and crowded but even knowing that it was still a shock to see just how many people had the same idea as we did.  The lines for the tram, and then tickets, and then ferry (monorail was broken), made for over an hour wait just to get through the gates.  Once we finally got in the excitement took over. 

One of the first stops we made (and fortunately before the lines were all an hour plus wait) was the Dumbo ride. 

The parade was another highlight of our day.  I love seeing it all through the eyes of our kids.  They are just in awe as the characters pass by. 

We arrived at the park when the gates opened, at 9am, and left after 6pm.  In total, we were able to ride 5 rides.  That's all time would allow for because of the long lines.  As you can see in the photos, we all look tired and haggard (because we are!) and in addition to the exhaustion the kids were both sick and I felt a cold coming on.  That said, I'm still so glad we went.  I can't wait to do it again when we have more time and preferably not on one of the busiest days of the year. 

When we left Disney we drove straight to Jeff's house where we ordered take-out and had dinner with him.  I am so upset to have forgotten to snap a photo.  I could barely function at that point in the day and it completely slipped my mind.  It was so great to see him, his sweet dog Lucius, and his home.  We packed up and headed out late that night and made it back to Jacksonville somewhere around midnight only to have to wake up early the next morning to make the long drive back home.  It was a lot of time spent in the car but I'm so glad we did it.  It was the perfect way to start the new year.