Our New PalsDay 1: Airplane Ride and Downtown Disney
Grandma and Grandpa joined Steven, Edmund and myself for this latest Disney excursion. We began our journey on a Southwest airplane, Edmund's second ever plane ride. In the month leading up to the trip, the plane trip got almost as much attention from Edmund as Disney itself. Edmund did great, but decided there would be no napping on this plane. Our first stop after landing in Orlando was Downtown Disney, a shopping area with various stores and restaurants. We decided to have our first meal at the T-Rex Cafe. There's no better way to acclimate a toddler to rides than having him eat in a restaurant surrounded by animatronic dinosaurs and indoor meteor showers that occur every 20 minutes. After the first meteor shower, Edmund decided it best to retreat into the bathroom for the following one. Going to the bathroom became the excuse Edmund used the rest of the trip anytime he wanted to leave something, which was bit humorous since he'll generally "hold it" to avoid leaving something. The restaurant was a hit, especially since it had a little area for Edmund to go digging for fossils. After fueling up with food we headed to the Lego Store. We never made it inside because Edmund spent most of the afternoon racing a little Lego car. He'd send it down one side of a racing track, retrieve it, then do the same on the other side. He had a blast and would have stayed there for hours if he could have. We finally pulled him away and ended our first day by taking a balloon ride on the world's largest helium balloon. It was a peaceful if
somewhat windy trip, and we were able to begin our vacation by surveying the Magical World below.
Future PaleontologistDay 2: Magic Kingdom
We got up bright and early for our first day in the parks. Edmund wanted to head straight for the castle and so we did. He didn't seem to mind there wasn't anything to do in the castle, and simply took in the view. After walking through the castle we came to the carousel. Edmund has always loved carousels and will now finally sit on a horse. You may recall that last summer Edmund was all about the carousel benches. He's finally taking a few risks in life. From there it was on to Dumbo, a must-do. The line was long so Steven, Grandma, and Grandpa took Edmund to the teacups, which had a very short wait, while I staked out a spot in line for the coveted Dumbo ride. Based on the reports it is safe to assume Edmund loved the teacups and fortunately made it back just in time to ride with mommy in a large elephant. The nice thing about Disney is that children can ride in parents' laps. This really enabled Edmund to enjoy the rides more. If you ask Edmund what his favorite ride at Disney World was, you'll most likely get the reply "Dumbo", with the teacups getting thrown in there occasionally too. The next two attractions may or may not have established Edmund's whole outlook for the rest of the trip. First up was the 3-D movie "Philharmagic." As soon as the movie started Edmund began screaming "it's too dark." and "it's too loud." Somehow we made it through the movie, but we decided there would be no more movies the rest of the trip. After that we tried a Pooh Bear ride. We thought it would be child-friendly enough, but this was Pooh on the blustery day. Again darkness and an inside ride. Scratch "It's a Small World". Steven and I did get to ride "It's a Small World" while Edmund finished dinner with Grandma and Grandpa in a restaurant overlooking the ride. He had fun waving to us as we went off in our boat. I guess I can't blame Edmund for not wanting to ride on it. It took me years before I would ride anything that went through water in a building including "It's a Small World", and I have no idea what started that fear in the first place. Edmund rode several more Dumbo type rides, such as the flying sleighs, er magic carpets, at the Magic Kingdom and loved them. We ended the day on a high note and hit up the spinning teacups again. The day was a success.
Whee!Day 3: Animal Kingdom
I think this park often takes too much slack. It's one of my favorites and can easily be covered in a day. I absolutely love animals, so maybe I'm biased. We began our day with a safari. The safari ride is really neat in that you get to see a variety of African animals up close. Disney works their magic to make it seem like the animals could come right up to you, but in actuality uses natural barriers to keep the animals enclosed. As long as we distracted Edmund from the ride's bumpiness he really enjoyed himself. After the safari we walked through the African animal exhibits, which is much like a zoo on Disney steroids. One of the best parts of the day was seeing the meerkats here. We learned about the meerkats' "changing of the guard." This happens quickly and is unpredictable since it is simply determined by the current "guard" needing to rest. Amazingly we were able to witness a "changing of the guards," a once in a lifetime experience. For two days Edmund did without a nap and it was showing. Grandma and Grandpa kindly took Edmund back to our townhome, which left Steven and I free to wander the park on our own. We were able to enjoy a fun African themed lunch and ride on some of the faster roller coasters. We also went on a rapids ride and got drenched. We apparently picked the wrong seats. Edmund is still telling people about how mommy and daddy got wet. He just doesn't understand why we would want to do that. After Edmund's nap and changing a flat on the rental van, Grandma, Grandpa, and Edmund returned. They found a wonderful, dinosaur themed playground that Edmund couldn't get enough of. A perfect end to the day, and because Animal Kingdom closes earlier than the other parks, we were able to go home and rest up for the next day's adventure.
Safari TrekDay 4: Universal Studios and Disney's Hollywood Studios
Steven and I went to Universal Studios alone while Grandma, Grandpa, and Edmund did some family history exploring in a nearby Florida town and cemetery. For our 5th anniversary I wanted to go to the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal, and this is how the whole Disney trip came into fruition in the first place. Steven and I had a blast. We got to eat some delicious English food (if indeed English food can be described in this way) and tasted Butterbeer, a drink much like cream soda. My favorite part was wandering the halls of Hogwarts to get to a rather fun, yet motion sickness inducing ride. We did a few other things at Universal, but mainly were there for the Harry Potter experience. We left in the early afternoon which gave us time to quickly explore Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM) that evening. The place we wanted to take Edmund the most here was the "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" playground. Edmund enjoyed this almost as much as the dinosaur playground at Animal Kingdom. The movie this attraction is based on is a bit dated now, but the concept is fun no matter what your age. Edmund loved sliding down the large leaves and exploring the oversized toys. His favorite was the play-doh. However, he was a bit confused by the large roll of Kodak film and kept asking what it was. It's a bit difficult to explain film to a child born in the digital age, but I kept trying. After the playground, Steven, Grandma, and Grandpa went to a car stunt show while I decided to beat the heat in "The American Idol Experience." I was surprised when Edmund and Steven greeted me at the end of my show as the stunt show was supposedly longer. Apparently Edmund lasted a whopping two minutes before the shouts of "it's too loud" ensued. Strangely enough, the rest of the evening he kept asking to return to the car show. Oh well! Our time at Hollywood Studios was short-lived when a large thunderstorm hit. We decided to weather the storm at a restaurant, but this particular storm would not let up. It was for the best though, as Edmund decided this night was perfect for a dinner time meltdown. We got back to our vacation digs and were able to get a good night's sleep while listening to the soothing sounds of rain.
Sliding Down a LeafDay 5: Kennedy Space Center
The Kennedy Space Center was a nice change of pace from the crowded parks. While the rest of the Pattishalls had been there already, it was a new experience for both Edmund and me. We especially loved the large outdoor "rocket garden." Edmund was able to see what it was like to sit in a cramped space module and had fun running down the ramp that allows astronauts to enter the shuttle. After this we took a bus tour to see the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), shuttle runway, and other assorted space things. Edmund has been very into tour buses these days, so this bus ride made his little heart flutter. If you ask Edmund about the space center he may tell you about the "huge doors" (raise hands in air for emphasis) on the VAB. I have to admit they were impressive, but even more impressive was the length of time it takes to simply open the doors. Another fortunate happening during this trip was being able to see the Space Shuttle Endeavor on the launch pad. Edmund may be a bit young to realize the significance, but when he's older he'll get to say "I was there when...". The rest of our time we explored the Saturn V rocket, touched a moon rock, and even saw a Space Snoopy. We were hoping to get to see the launch of the Endeavor on Monday, but it would have been cutting it too close with our flight home. We did, however, get to hear the Endeavor from our townhome and Edmund probably watched the launch forty times from every possible angle on Grandpa's IPad. Edmund's a space boy, so this day was a special treat for him.
Astronauts in TrainingDay 6: Epcot
The Magic Kingdom is special, but I've got to say this is another park that needs a little more loving. I never feel I have enough time at Epcot. Between the World Showcase and all that Innoventions has to offer, one could easily spend three days here. Edmund found a fun game at Innoventions called "The Great Piggy Bank Adventure" which sends you on a spending/saving adventure with your own piggy bank in tow. Edmund decided to save for a college education (smart boy), but even with Grandma and mommy helping out, we didn't quite reach our goal. We'll have to work a bit more on diversifying. Another game that the entire clan did together had to do with recycling. Edmund and mommy worked together to push the very heavy recycling truck from station to station where we each helped participate in planet saving challenges. We all did a pretty good job on this one if I do say so myself. We decided to take Edmund on a ride at Epcot about living off the land. All I remembered from our last trip was the amazing fruits and vegetables being grown in greenhouses. Apparently that's all Steven remembered too or we wouldn't have gotten on with Edmund. Of course before showing these amazing fruits and vegetables, one must be shown the way the earth works to produce plant life. This means thunderstorms and darkness. Edmund had a fit and starting saying "where's the station?" This became mine and Steven's catchphrase the rest of the day anytime we rode a ride that was a bit dark. "Where's the station?" we would say. Just so you know, we did these rides without Edmund and chose no more dark torture for him the rest of the day. Edmund got to have fun on other things such as two small playgrounds built for the Epcot garden show. While with Grandma and Grandpa he also may have had the most fun of his trip playing with the jumping fountains. I think the pictures Grandpa got here capture Edmund's excitement better than any I've seen. What a great way to end an incredible trip! I leave you with the following picture to sum up Edmund's very first Disney experience.
I Love Disney World!