Disney World

We had a relatively quiet New Year's Eve this year.  As we had to get up about 4:30 am on New Year's Day, none of us actually made it to midnight in our time zone.  I think we made it to midnight in Eastern time, so I guess that counts.  And we watched the fireworks.  Then promptly went to bed.  It was going to be a long day of travel for that first day of 2013.  Not that anyone minded.  We were headed to Disney World.

Now, my girls are on a first name basis with almost every character at Disneyland. They know the ins and outs of that park like the back of their hand.  They can even tell you which lines are the longest and which move the fastest.  They have been to the Land more times than any of us could count since we lived only 20 minutes away and had season passes.  We used to go about twice a month - sometimes more.  And they have missed it since we moved to Santiago.  So when I told them we were going to go to "Disneyland on steroids" they were super excited.  Still, I think B was even more excited than they were.

It was a whirlwind.  Three full days - one at Epcot, one at the Magic Kingdom and one at the Animal Kingdom.  We needed another three weeks to see it all!  I don't think even I remembered how huge Disney World is.  But we packed in what we could in the time we were there.  The weather cooperated with us for the most part (Animal Kingdom was a bit soggy that last day) and we really didn't have to wait too long for any one ride (though my kids are pro's at waiting in line patiently).  Stinkerbell really didn't have to wait much anyway since she is still too short for almost everything.  Though she did have to wait to catch up with her old friends - Daisy, Chip/Dale, Tigger, Pooh - you know, those she hadn't seen in almost two years.

Judging by how exhausted we were at the end of our time visiting the Happiest Place on Earth, I would call it a huge success.  And we still had a cruise to catch...

Breakfast excitement for DisneyWorld!

Our hotel.  We were right on the Monorail line.

A theme throughout - Stitch was MadHatter's all time favorite!

Waiting to see Daisy.

They loved being able to ride by themselves.  The new Nemo ride was a first for them since Disneyland doesn't have it!

A common theme with Stinkerbell.

 We tried out a few of the lands...and some of their props...

Hitting the end of a long first day.

 At the end of day one we were exhausted.  Even BunBun (Stinkerbell's favorite) was tucked in and ready for a good, rejuvenating night of sleep.  Because day two was bringing us the Magic Kingdom...

Cinderella's Castle!

I loved that all the Christmas decor was still up.  It's always my favorite time of the year at the parks and I had missed it for the last few years.

 The merry go round is usually our first stop. No exceptions here.

They were so excited to be able to go on the tea cups (B and I both get very ill on them)

 Passing the time waiting in line...

 A fun day.  Just waiting for the show to start.  

The magic kingdom was a huge success (without a lot of pictures...You can only take so many pictures of standing in line).  Our last day, Animal Kingdom.  Which had even less pictures.  It was the only day that was rainy, and chilly.  We did a lot of character visits and then went inside for the shows.  All in all - drizzly but still memorable.

Right outside the Kingdom.

The center point of the park.  This tree is carved with all sorts of animals.

Tattoos

A bugs life (and a way out of the drizzle)

One of the only rides of the day.

We saw a bunch of characters that day (and not just the ones that were visiting the park).  But ultimately we had the shortest day here because we still had to pack up for our ride to the big boat in the morning.  Which, as we had been hearing about for over 6 months, would be where MadHatter would turn 5!