Disney III

Thanks to another work trip to Orlando, we spent a long January weekend in Disney World.

It's funny how each trip changes for Nate.  Our first, a one day excursion to Disneyland when he was 22  months old, was before he had any idea who Mickey Mouse was.  He'd never watched a show nor heard a Disney song.  But the magic of Disney was enough to elicit excitement from that trip.

And this flashback picture makes me smile because we knew Baby Margaret was in there but it was still our family's secret.

Then we went again last May when he was 2-and-three-quarters-old.  He recognized some of the major characters, thanks to being introduced to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  But even characters he had never seen (Pooh, Princesses, any one from any movie except Toy Story) he was excited by.

And then this time.  Mr. I'm-a-Big-Three-and-a-Half-Year-Old.  Both of our cameras were broken so I only have my Dad's photos to share: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmdharris/

Like he's too cool for Snow White.

Ariel got a little more excitement on account of the fact that he's watched Little Mermaid multiple times.

And Jake?  Okay, that will bring out a smile.  Or an, "Arghhhh."


Rides were a little different this time too.  Nate was a debatable 40 inches tall.  Debatable because some rides said he was, and others said he was not.  He was allowed to ride Big Thunder Mountain and the Test Track at Epcot.  But denied at the Star Wars simulation which was very disappointing for him.  He's never seen a single movie or show, but we have Star Wars books that he loves.  Thinking he was 40", since they said he was at Magic Kingdom and Epcot, we talked up the ride enough that when the guys at Hollywood said he wasn't 40", there were a lot of tears.  Luckily, nothing that couldn't be cured by an Indiana Jones stunt show and some ice cream.

Overall, we had a great trip.  With the very best part being the bonus night we got on account of a snow storm.  It was a very chilly 50 degrees in Orlando but we went over the the Magic Kingdom on the last, extra, night and had the best time.  There were no lines for anything.  Nate rode the Barnstormer 7 times in a row.  With a stop only to switch Mom for Dad.  Hands up every time, start to finish.

Then we met Ariel in her grotto, and rode the Little Mermaid ride (usually a long line) twice in a row.  We made a few more stops, Peter Pan, Pirates, and our final ride for the trip was on a Magic Carpet.

Before we left the park, we stopped in for a treat on Main Street and ran into Nate's little friend Miles from his days at the Little Gym.  Turns out, it's a small world after all.

Until next time, Disney!