Goodbye Disney, we'll miss you!

On our last day at Disney, we were sure to be there early. We got to Epcot just as the gates were opening, and that meant that we really didn't have a lot of crowds to contend with there. Our first stop was the Kodak picture stop in front of the big sphere, then we went straight to Mission to Mars. G, Grandpa, Ralph and I went on a "Green" training mission (less intense), and it was a really cool simulation! Then the four of us went to the GM Test Track, which was also lots of fun. It was very fun to see G get so totally immersed in all of the make-believe...and really believe it all :-) From there, we went to half of the Innoventions Pavilion. We did a fun waste management interactive challenge, made some paper, and then avoided the other half, which had a bunch of video games (we knew better than to set ourselves up for a big problem getting out of there). After that, we went to the World Showcase area of Epcot. We went on the rides in the Mexico and Norway areas, had lunch in the China area, and then found our way to the Nemo Ride.

The evening before, we had plotted out (with G) all the attractions we wanted to see in Epcot, and all of the attractions we wanted to see again (or for the first time) back at Magic Kingdom. So, we boarded the tram and went to Magic Kingdom for Round 2. We went on a few new rides (Aladin's flying carpets, The Jungle Cruise, and Thunder Mountain roller coaster), and went back to favourites (Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, Pirates of the Carribean, and so on). We made sure we got a chance to see the castle close up, and we even walked through it. We were ready to leave just as the parade was starting, so we saw both parades at Magic Kingdom.

After a late supper, we swam for about an hour (we promised the kids a late bedtime on our last night), did some laundry and got packed up, so that we could swim again in the morning before we needed to leave. It was so nice having Grandma and Grandpa with us, having an awesome heated pool, and having so much space to hang out in together.

A day off

After two full days of Disney, we decided to take it easy for a day. We started the day with a swim, then went over to Downtown Disney for lunch at the Rainforest Cafe and to check out LegoLand. The staff at Rainforest Cafe were awesome. The setting is so much fun inside, but it is REALLY noisy, and when the server mentioned that there was going to be a thunderstorm in a few minutes, G got a pretty panicked look on his face. So, we told them about his diagnosis, and the manager immediately moved us to an outdoor table, and assigned us his most senior server. Can I say again how much I love being in a place where everyone just gets it...and doesn't treat you like you're spoiling your kid because you don't want to subject them to something that is going to result in major sensory overload??

After lunch, we stopped in a Disney store where the kids chose an Eva and Wall*e stuffy for their souvenirs and posed with L's favourite, Sleeping Beauty. Then we went over to LegoLand where they have the most amazing lego creations. In one of the photos above, you can see G and L at a little people making station. Of course, you get to buy the people you make ($10 for 3 people). When I realized they were for sale, I told the kids that they could buy three, not realizing that G was already making his fourth. And so began the biggest meltdown of our entire trip. 45 minutes later, he had worked out a deal with his daddy that he would earn his second set of people by helping with laundry back at the house (paying us back with money from his piggy bank once we got home just wasn't going to cut it). So once all the tears were wiped we headed back to our house.

Before supper, Ralph, Grandpa, G and I went for a round of mini-golf (G had won a free round with a hole-in-one during his last game). We had a great time, and we ALL scored holes in one at least once! The person working at the booth didn't believe us, but she did give G another token. He wasn't too happy when he saw that I put it on a scrapbook layout about our trip, but we agreed that he could take it off the layout if we go back :-)

Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom is such a cool place. It's so cool to walk through the different areas, and to feel totally transported to another place. We started by heading over to "Asia." Our first ride was Everest Expedition. G, Ralph, and I all went on it, and it was INTENSE! I really thought I was going to pee my pants for a few seconds. The ride starts out tame enough... a nice slow roller coaster. And then you get to the top, and the tracks are "broken." The roller coaster goes backwards, really fast, in pitch darkness. I didn't know if I was right side up or upside down. Of course, they took a photo during this part, and I look like such a goof... and Ralph and G have the same very still expression on their faces. G was a little scared by the Yeti, but he sure had fun. Next we went on Kali River Rapids. L and Ralph got completely soaked... and Ralph wore my shirt until his dried (I had a tank top on underneath). We explored some wildlife exhibits, then had lunch in a very cool themed restaurant. G ordered a huge dish of noodles and shrimp, and ate most of it! After lunch we headed over to the Africa area. The highlight of this area was definitely the Safari. We saw a bunch of elephants, and a big rhino even ran at our truck. G had to make sure to tell a cast member about the poachers that we heard during the Safari. He took his job of watching out for poachers very seriously! We tried going to the Bugs Life attraction, but it was too intense, and the kids were not interested. So, we went to DinoLand and spent awhile in a huge, fun play structure (thank goodness there was only one exit, because there was no way to keep an eye on everyone in there!). It was a gorgeous, hot and sunny day, and it was definitely time for a cold drink after this playtime!

After a long day at the Magic Kingdom the day before, and a full day at Animal Kingdom, we decided to head home so that G and Grandpa could go for a game of mini-golf and so that everyone could swim. Ralph and I went back for a date at Epcot during the evening. It was nice for the kids to get some time alone with Grandma and Grandpa, and nice for us to have a date night. We went to the World Showcase and walked through all of the areas. We had a great Tepanyaki supper in the Japan area, stayed for the fireworks, and went home.

More favourites

The Magic Kingdom was our first stop at Disney World, and I think it was everyone's favourite. Aside from the Princess show at the castle, a highlight for L was having her face painted like Sleeping Beauty in Toon Town. She definitely could not be convinced to wash her face before bed! Both she and M loved the Dumbo ride, the Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh rides, and everyone loved exploring the Winnie the Pooh play area, Mickey and Minnie's houses, and meeting Mickie and Minnie.

G's favourites included Pirates of the Carribean, Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Blast (which we went on multiple times). I anticipated that he'd like the roller coasters. He's always been a bit of a thrill-seeker, and the jarring impact and intense motion of the roller coasters really regulated him well! It was so fun to get off of intense rides (hearing his little squeeky screams), and to have interesting, fluid conversations with him, to have him easily referencing us, and keeping pace with our walking.

We had lunch at the Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle House, which was G's pick. It is also so amazing to see him being so adventurous with food! He's developed a real taste for asian food, which I'm grateful for (given his new diet of mainly stir-fry, noodles, and rice).

Grandpa was happy to take the kids on "It's a Small World" (his favourite), and he and G decided to tell us that it's been renovated since the last time we were on it. I think they were playing a joke. It was so nice to have Grandpa and Grandma with us, so that we could all take turns riding with G on the more intense rides. The kids also went on the Tomorrowland Speedway with Grandma and Grandpa, and we all rode the train together around Disney World.

Despite having a very long day, we didn't get too far into AdventureLand or FrontierLand. We ate supper in FrontierLand, and then waited for the evening parade to start. It was worth the wait! We decided to stay for the fireworks, even though M had fallen asleep in her stroller. They were truly magical.

One of the most magical things about Disney World for me was how inclusive it is! When we arrived, we went to Guest Services and told them about G's disability. We had documentation along, but there really weren't even any questions. We received a special pass which allowed us to use the wheelchair entrance on the rides, which meant that we didn't need to wait in crowded line-ups, and the cast members knew exactly how to treat him. It was so nice to be in a place where everyone knew just what to do, and the few minor incidents that occured with G (getting stuck standing on the street while they were trying to clear it for the parade, getting anxious about restaurant menus that didn't have something he wanted) were not a big deal at all with so many understanding cast members.

They're REAL!!!

There is something that is so magical about entering DisneyWorld and seeing the castle. For L... it was a dream come true. The real magic happened as we walked up to the castle just as the Princess show was about to begin. The show began with Mickey and Minnie, and when the princesses came on stage, L's mouth hung open for about 1o minutes straight. What a perfect introduction to Disney World for this little princess... she got to see that the princesses are REAL! She was in heaven and totally engrossed in the show. When Malificent came out, and Mickey and Minnie told everyone to shout "Dreams come true" to make her go away, both G and L shouted like crazy! This experience certainly was a highlight for this little girl, and so magical for me to experience it through her eyes.