Our Many Adventures at Disney

We just couldn't resist taking a trip to Disney during our Florida visit!

Our goal for this trip: visit all four Disney theme parks in less than two days!! 

Think we can do it??

Ol' Walt has really got it goin' on and this time we wanted to see EVERYTHING!

So, hold onto your mouse ears, here we go...

Theme park #1: Epcot

Note: for every park we had 'The Beej List' which included all of the rides / activities that were a MUST

Mission Space ride: Check.

 Gary Sinise would be proud that we hit his ride first. 

Our mission to Mars courtesy of Commander Sinise was reminiscent of our drive from Sarasota to Orlando that morning... driving through copious amounts of thick swamp fog now ranks right up there with snow squalls for mom

Gran Fiesta Tour ride: Check.

Gran Fiesta Tour green T-shirt that Grandma and Papa bought me last year that I wore all summer long and then had to wear to Disney for this exact day. Check.

The Gran Fiesta Tour starring The Three Caballeros is one of my absolute favourite rides in all of Disney... although it remains a mystery to all of us as to why it is a favourite.

Perhaps I just enjoy Spanish speaking birds named Panchito and Josee who fly around on the Mexican equivalent of a magic carpet (aka a big poncho). Or perhaps I like the cast-off figurines that didn't make the cut for the more popular It's A Small World ride... or mom's theory is that Donald Duck is just a bit more wild and crazy and thus more enjoyable when he is in Mexico (but aren't we all, really?)

Test Track: Double Check!

A special thanks to Chevrolet for making so many 6-year-old boys the world over incredibly happy.

Test Track is a ride designed to make you feel like you're part of the Chevrolet design studio - allowing you to create your own virtual custom-concept vehicle. And, of course, the car I designed was built solely for speed with absolutely nothing practical about it at all.  And it was red. No one should be surprised by any of this.

Then, once your car is built, you put your design through its paces (at speeds of up to 65 miles per hour) on  hills, hairpin turns and straightaways of the Test Track circuit. Ummmm AWESOME.

While this video doesn't quite do it justice, it is still fun to watch!

With a heavy heart we left Epcot and ventured over to Animal Kingdom - theme park #2.

But before we left Epcot mom made a stop in Germany to get an Oktoberfest beer.  I don't remember that being on our Disney priority list, but mom claims it was there...

See The Tree of Life: Check.

This sculpted 14-story (145-foot tall), 50-foot wide tree is the centerpiece and icon of the Animal Kingdom.

Take a train ride on the Wildlife Express: Check

All aboard!

Wildlife was present both INSIDE and outside of the train. 

Kilimanjaro Safaris Expedition: Check.

Mom, Dad and I climbed aboard a rugged open-sided safari vehicle for an exciting expedition through  Africa.  Note the vicious Wildebeest to my left.

"Say mom - will we get to see the lions eat these guys before the end of this jeep ride??"

Meet Dino-Sue: Check.

Sue is a bit different than most ladies I know.  Mostly because she is a 13-foot tall, 40-foot long exact replica of the largest, most complete T-Rex ever found. Clocking in at 67 million years-old, Dino-Sue is the length of a 4-story building.

(Dad thinks that mom could still take her though. Vodka required.)

Sue acts as the official greeter for a fantastic ride called "Dinosaur".  

In this ride, Mrs. Huckstable from the Cosby show (playing a scientist, but she will always be Claire to mom) tells you that you are going back in time in a special rover to perform dinosaur research.  However, the mischievous Dr. Seeker hacks the time travel systems and sends you to a time right before the meteor breaks the atmosphere.

And everyone (but mom) agrees that we probably won't go on that ride again. Ever. See for yourself

Having survived the meteor attack on earth, we thought we deserved some ice cream. 

And my first bite into my cone and POP, out comes my tooth! Complete with blood which I always think is hela cool.

Wow, Disney World really does have it all!! 

****

Mom had the feeling that this would be our first and last trip to Animal Kingdom (mostly because it is full of, well, animals).  So she decided that she had to go on "Expedition Everest" before departing.  

It is a ride themed around the Yeti hiding in Mount Everest. It is listed in the 2011 book of Guinness World Records as the most expensive roller coaster in the world. Its total cost was reported to be US$100 million, following 6 years of planning and construction. It is the tallest of the artificial mountains at Walt Disney World and the tallest mountain in Florida.

So, needless to say, mom went solo. And she loved it.

Dad and I opted instead to ride the Kali River Rapids where Dad got absolutely soaked (but don't worry, he didn't wear the Millennium Falcon shirt that day)

Disney family photos: Check.

Silly Disney family photos: Check.

Silly pics of my parents pretending to have Mickey ears. Check.

***

And we celebrated our adventurous and wonderful day with a rather lovely dinner at Artist Point restaurant at the Wilderness Lodge. mmmm venison.

We were up bright and early the next morning and headed to theme park #3: Disney Hollywood Studios

Hollywood Studios is dedicated to show business (queue jazz hands now), drawing inspiration from the heyday of Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s. The park's icon is "The Sorcerer's Hat" aka Mickey's hat from Fantasia.

We had breakfast at the Hollywood and Vine restaurant

And guess who joined us for some eggs, OJ and Mickey-shaped waffles??! 

Hola Manny! My mom wants to know if Wilmer Valderrama is in there with you...

Agent Oso! 

It's all part of the plan to see you at Disney... more or less

(note - that last line will only make sense for those of you who have been subjected to countless hours of Disney Jr.)

While I do enjoy Manny and Oso (and the sassy girl from little Einsteins whom I also met) I was really hoping to see one character in particular...

JAKE!!!!

pure Disney joy :)

The Disney "Beej List" had one ride that was triple circled and underlined: Star Tours!!!!

It is advertised as "The Ultimate Star Wars Adventure!" And believe me it does NOT disappoint!

All of my favourite characters were there...

C-3PO

R2-D2

Ummm, is that Chewbacca?? 

Even my favourite bounty hunter - Boba Fett

Defeating Darth Vadar and destroying the Death Star: Check.

But, for the record, Darth Vadar enjoys Disney as much as we do - check it out

And we couldn't visit a place called hollywood studios without meeting the stars themselves!

Pluto was a wee bit overwhelming and even tried to eat my hat

(see dad, this is why I don't want a dog)

Gordie: Alright, Mickey's a mouse, Donald's a duck, Pluto's a dog. What's Goofy? 

Teddy: Goofy's a dog. He's definitely a dog. 

Chris: He can't be a dog. He drives a car and wears a hat. 

Vern: That's weird. What the hell is Goofy? 

Name that movie.

(Click on this link to see if you are right)

Almost as exciting as any ride at Disney was the opportunity to ride the monorail between parks!

Especially when that monorail takes you to your 4th and final theme park - The Magic Kingdom!!

As everyone knows The Magic Kingdom is home to some of the most interesting rides and castles ever built - Cinderella's castle, Belle's Castle and Ariel's Castle just to name a few.

So naturally, the first place I wanted to go to was the race track.

Whiplash: Check.

Enjoy a scrumptious lunch in Frontier Land in stocks: Check.

***

We also headed over to Tomorrowland.  

Battle the evil Emperor Zurg with Buzz Lightyear: Check.

Had the best time ever: Check.

I have a feeling we'll be seeing you again soon Disney....
In fact the Great and Powerful Donaldo has foretold it!