Disney Reflections

I can hardly believe it's been 10 days since we left for our BIG TRIP.  Now we're back and busy and I'm grasping to remember all the great moments.  And while there were tired and cold kids, and hurt feet, and someone sick to their stomach at least once a day, the 12 person vacation in what I think may have been the busiest place on earth also lived up to its name that it was certainly the "happiest place on earth" offering so much to feast our eyes on. 

I considered writing a post about how we tackled Disney - from managing 12 people ranging from 4-years-old to 67-years-old, to working the Fast Pass system, to saving on the Dining Plan, to arranging character signatures, to riding every roller coaster in each park.  But there are a gob of Disney books that can provide those helpful tips far better than I.  Instead, as the week slipped by me, I kept a mental list of all the things I saw either in my kids, my family, or in my surroundings that surprised me, that I questioned, or that brought me joy.  I'm taking that mental list now and typing it out because that's the take-away I want; those are the memories I want to keep.

 1.  If your kids fly on airplanes a lot, they may be over their "We are in the Sky!" reaction, but my kids were total newbies on the first leg of our flight.  While I am a nervous flyer, grabbing onto the seat rests until I hear the ding after take-off, they simply treated it like their first amusement park ride. 







2.   Lydia, my dear Lydia who is afraid of fire, and afraid to be alone at night, and so terribly shy, LOVED roller coasters.  She was connected to her dad's hip the whole trip and whatever scary things he went on, she did too.  He was so proud of her willingness to be the little sister with courage. 

 3.  And speaking of bravery, Elijah is more my child; we tend to be a bit more cautious.  Like me, he wanted to go on the scary rides, but needed someone to go first and tell him what to expect.  I think watching his little sister come back unafraid, pushed him either out of obligation or embarrassment to tackle each ride as well.  When he finally did get the nerve to go on the roller coasters, Elijah's usual post-ride response:  "The was AWESOME!"  One of his prayers of thanks one night was conquering his fears.

4.  I don't ever want to forget how good Lanie was during the trip.  She would usually have a rough wake-up but as soon as Kenny got her laughing (he's good at things like that), she was a good sport the whole day, and into the late, late night falling asleep only once on the bus home, but to her credit, it was almost midnight. She also took us by surprise how like her sister she was when she dared to go on not just 1 but 3 scary rides, laughing all the while with hands held up high. 

5.  I always like to be in control of the map.  I like to know the plan.  Not this trip.  I gave it all away.  My sister Deanna and Kenny got us around to everything.  She plotted places for her family, Kenny plotted places for his and they worked together on the things we all wanted to do.  It truly was amazing to watch.  Deanna with her hand-written list of things-to-do and Kenny with his App that gave updated wait times, both ran the race with ease.  Totally impressive.  My mom, dad, brother-in-law and I were completely along for the ride. 

Spinning in the Mad Hatter's Tea Cup

6.  If you need to know what any of the bathrooms look like at any of the Disney parks, I can vouch for the custodians that they do their job keeping them clean.  I'm pretty sure I saw every bathroom in the park at least once. With a party of 12, you were either searching for a bathroom, running out of a ride to a bathroom, or waiting outside a bathroom for someone else. 





 7.  Four is the perfect age for princess love.  Three-years-old may have been better, but then Lanie wouldn't have been tall enough to ride the rides that required 40".  So, I stand by it - four-years-old is the perfect age for a first Disney trip.  If Lanie's infatuation with magic slippers and talking mirrors was decreasing before, it has gained some steam after
e v e r y   s i n g l e cast member in Magic Kingdom called her and every other little girl, princess and every boy, prince and sprinkled magic fairy dust on her and her sister's head, not just once but three times.   The only bone Lanie has to pick with DisneyWorld is that Dorothy (of Kansas and Oz fame) isn't a princess.

  8.  Do they really set off fireworks every night?  Twice a night? Really? 


9.  My mom and dad are troopers.  I knew my mom would be.  She loves crowds and people-watching like I do.  But my dad, not so much.  But such a wonderful surprise, he kept up, kept a smile, and rode the roller coasters.  And he enjoyed his Biergarten beer like the good German he is. Sehr Gut.  




10.  Who is Duffy the bear?  Everywhere we went we saw stuffed Duffy's?  In Epcot Duffy was dressed up as Santa and signing autographs.  Who is he?  We bypassed it - couldn't figure it out.


Putting three families together for a week-long trip could have been a disaster, but it couldn't have worked out any better than it did.  The kids always had a grandparent, an aunt, an uncle or their favorite cousins to talk to, play with, or sit next to on a ride.  My oldest nephew and niece were so helpful carrying kids and pushing strollers.  We may have moved a little slower (though I don't know how when we walked 8-10 miles a day) but there was always someone available to stay here, watch this, keep these kids, meet me here.  We give thanks for a text-savvy family.  


It truly was an experience worth having and not one we'll be able to repeat for a long time.  So often, a planned trip rarely meets the hype of expectation.  This time, it far exceeded.  Hugs and kisses and so many thanks go to mom and dad for making this post-retirement/67th birthday/ Thanksgiving week so special.