Saturday - Arriving Early and Visiting Tampa
Sunday - Church in Tampa and more visiting
Monday - Hollywood Studios
Tuesday - Magic Kingdom
Wednesday - Blizzard Beach Water Park
Thursday - Animal Kingdom
Friday - Epcot
Saturday - Travel Home
Saturday
I am beyond excited to go to DisneyWorld on Monday, but we have had a really fun day today exploring Katie’s mission area. Cassie and I arrived in Orlando this morning at 5:30am after a long flight, during which I played 3DS, watched Chariots of Fire for my first time, and got a few short hours of sleep. My dad picked us up and drove us to our hotel, but I couldn’t sleep because I was just thinking about the fun things we would do at Disney. We finally got some proper sleep back at the hotel, for one hour. Then we were off to see Katie’s mission area. We had fun swimming at the beach in the morning, getting yummy meals, walking down a boardwalk in the afternoon, and playing in a splash pad. We ended the day by meeting one of Katie’s friends here, Shannel, along with her two cute kids. They were so cute, and the 3-year-old son would respond to her mom with a “yes, ma‘am” that was adorable.
I spent most of the downtime of the day making a list of all the rides we need to go on in DisneyWorld. It's a long list. We will have our work cut out for us.
Sunday
Another fun day in Tampa. We went to two different sacraments so Katie could see as many people as possible. It was fun to meet so many nice people, all of whom praised Katie as the best missionary ever. No surprise there. Katie is awesome! We went back to our hotel for a while to freshen up and take a nap. It was great! Then we went back out. We explored a gator pond, but only saw a snake and some frogs.
The highlight of the night was meeting Katie’s Mission President Couple, President and Sister Hollingsworth. They were so nice. They shared stories and asked each of us questions with genuine interest. The world needs more people like them. No wonder they are mission presidents. They also praised Katie as one of their very finest by far, saying they wish they had “a million Sister Johnson’s.” Such a fun night.
We went to bed with dreams of Disney in our heads and though we didn’t sleep the best, we woke up ready for…
Monday
Hollywood Studios
We had the perfect day in Hollywood Studios. It was just so fun to walk around, enjoy the ambiance (especially in Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land), and go on such fun rides! The best part was that Cassie was there with us. I just love her so much and love seeing her have fun with me and my family in the happiest place on Earth. Cassie’s highlight of the day was seeing Minnie and Mickey in one of the restaurants and Minnie waving at her, and when she got second in Toy Story Mania both times we went. (Dad got first).
The day started out exciting as we woke up at 6:50, and all gathered to try to get tickets to the news Star Wars ride, Rise of the Resistance, within the few seconds they were available. We all started swiping with Megan counting us down to 7:00 am, and I immediately got it and clicked through to be in boarding group 13! Not bad, if I do say so myself. After our first Toy Story Mania in the morning, and a Smuggler’s Run after that, we went to Rise of the Resistance and after a short line were swept into an epic Star Wars adventure. It was very immersive and impressive. Definitely my second favorite ride at Disney (spoilers for my favorite ride on Thursday). It was a great day overall. Below is a list of all the activities we did in Hollywood Studios. We walked a total of 10.5 miles.
Entered Hollywood Studios at 8:30
Toy Story Mania
Smugglers Run
Rise of the Resistance
Mickey Bars
Rock n Rollercoaster
Tower of Terror
Tower of Terror
Lightning McQueen Racing Academy
Walt Disney Presents
Slinky Dog Dash
Alien Saucer Spin
Mint Brownie Sundaes
Beauty and the Beast Show
Tower of Terror
Tower of Terror
Shops
Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway
Dinner at Rosie's All-American Café
Toy Story Mania
Toy Story Land and Star Wars Land Exploring and Pictures
Smuggler's Run (Ryan, Luke, Matthew)
Tower of Terror
Tower of Terror
Firework Show
Left at 9:15
Tuesday
Magic Kingdom
Nothing can beat the magical feeling of the Park with Disney characters and rides, the 3 “Mountains”, and the Cinderella Castle itself. We started the day going on the Seven Dwarves Mine Train and then cycled through various lines, rides, and snacks. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain were of course highlights, following which we stopped in that area to get a raspberry dole whip. We also went on Jungle Cruise, which was fun because we had just watched the new Jungle Cruise movie 2 weeks prior. We got pretty worn out by the end of the day after two straight full-packed Disney days. We ended the day by visiting some stores on Main Street and then watching the awesome Ever After firework display. Below is a list of all the activities we did in Magic Kingdom. We walked a total of 8.3 miles.
Entered Magic Kingdom at 8:30
Seven Dwarves Mine Train
Winnie the Pooh
Tomorrowland Speedway
Buzz Lightyear Character
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Dole Whip Raspberry Icecream from Aloha Isle
Splash Mountain
Pirates of the Caribean
Magic Carpets of Aladdin
Jungle Cruise
Pretzel and Slushy from The Lunching Pad
Space Mountain
The Barnstormer
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid
Dinner at Pecos Tall Tale Inn and Cafe
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Splash Mountain
Shopping at Main Street, USA
Firework Show
Left at 9:00
Wednesday
We finally got to sleep in on Wednesday, and I played a game of 7 Wonders: Duel with Matthew before we headed to Disney's Blizzard Beach water park around noon. We had a big Disney ticket fiasco while we were there that was somehow pinned on me by the worker there, but she was really helpful and got Cassie, Luke, and Matthew into the water park for free because of the trouble. Saved us $70, so I'll take the blame. Blizzard Beach was fun and we enjoyed swimming in Melt Away Bay, The Lazy River, and lots of water slides, including the high steep one called Summit Plummet that was a blast to go down. There were really fun tube ones as well. The highlight was probably the Teamboat Springs, where you can fit the whole family on a tube. Our day got cut short by rain and thunder, so we left early and enjoyed an evening at Disney Springs. We got some delicious Blaze Pizza and came up with the idea of doing a 75 Soft with our family, where we will all work out, eat healthier, read more, and drink water according to specific goals. We are excited about it, especially after all the junk we have eaten this week. I checked out the Lego Store with Luke and Matthew while the girls shopped, and we all had some Ghiradelli's before we walked back to our car and drove to our place. Such a fun day, and good to have a break before we get back into...
Thursday
Animal Kingdom
I loved Animal Kingdom. The first thing we did was speed straight to Pandora to go on the Flight of the Avatar ride. We got in line and walked through the lengths of a very immersive line and ended up being on one of the very first flights. it was probably the greatest ride I have ever been on. I just loved it! It felt so great. I was just so immersed in it. We went on it again later in the day. After that, the best rides and treats of the day were Kali River Rapids, Expedition Everest, a root beer float, and another Mickey Bar. Just so good! The other parts about Animal Kingdom that Cassie and I loved were the animals themselves. The safari was awesome, with so many incredible animals. It was so fun to hear the driver describing them all. Outside of the safari, my favorite animal to see were the gorillas. The Disney employee there explained the hierarchy of the gorilla family and told us all their names. The baby gorilla was very cute being carried and fed by its mom, and sitting right next to us. We love Animal Kingdom!! Below is a list of all the activities we did in Animal Kingdom. We walked a total of 9.1 miles.
Entered Animal Kingdom at 8:00
Flight of the Avatar
Navi River Journey
Kilimanjaro Safari
Gorilla Falls Walk
Lion King Show
Expedition Everest
Root Beer Float and Yeti Sundae
Kali River Rapids
Expedition Everest
Expedition Everest
Dinosaur
Flight of the Avatar
Pickle
Rafiki's Train
Kali River Rapids
Mickey Bar
Left at 4:00
Friday
Epcot
Before we went to Epcot, we slept in a bit and then went to the movie Free Guy in the massive Disney Springs theater. It was really funny, and Ryan Reynolds was fun to watch. The highlight of the movie was a Captain America reference (music and all) along with a Chris Evans cameo. This was of course followed by a Star Wars reference of the same epicness. So that was fantastic. Then we went straight to Epcot, and let me just say, Epcot was a Joy. Even though it was a bit Goofy, we were Poppin' around the countries, Remy for some excitement. Epcot is like a real pl-utopia. So, as you may or may not have understood from the previous sentences, we saw lots of characters in Epcot, more than in any other kingdom actually. We saw Goofy, Pluto, Joy, and Mary Poppins. One of the highlights of Epcot was trying to find Remy (from Ratatouille) in each of the countries. I believe we found him in Canada, Japan, Morocco, Italy, and Kenya. We also found him on a Greece food stand. With more time, I would have loved to find him in every country. As it was, we enjoyed some rides (Warning: Never ever ride the Journey into Imagination with Figment. It is so dumb. We are hoping they turn that into an Inside Out ride someday.), started enjoying some countries, and were quickly beset with a rainstorm of epic proportions. After we had eaten a Macaroon in France and come to the conclusion the rain would not be stopping soon, we ran through the crazy downpour all the way to Italy, where we ordered dinner and played Qwixx while we waited for our food. It was very fun to run through Epcot in the rain. For some reason, the rain left a massive puddle on the sidewalk of Morocco, so our shoes got suddenly drenched when we got there. One food highlight was the gelato in Italy. Cassie and I got Lemon and Cookies and Cream, and it was divine. We also got a Marshmellow Mickey in Germany. We went on two rides toward the end of the night, the fantastic Frozen Ever After ride in Norway, and the Test Track. While Mom, Dad, and the boys went on Test Track again, Katie, Emily, Megan, Cassie and I went back to Kenya to enjoy a Frozen Lemonade Slushy and find a good spot to watch the fireworks. As the shops were closing up in Kenya, I took Cassie aside and bought her a wooden elephant figurine. She collects them, and I thought it fitting that she get one here so that she would know I will always travel by her side and be excited to buy her more. The fireworks were great, and we exited our final Disney park. Below is a list of all the activities we did in Epcot. We walked a total of 8.6 miles.
Entered Epcot at 2:00
Pluto and Goofy
Shop
Spaceship Earth
Awesome Planet Show
Soarin'
Journey into Imagination with Figment
Joy
Canada (First Appearance of Remy)
United Kingdom (Mary Poppins)
France (Raspberry Vanilla Macaroon)
Rain
Morocco, Japan, and America
Italy (Via Napoli - Tortellini) and Qwixx
Back to Morocco and Japan for pictures
Gelato
Germany (Marshmallow Mickey)
Kenya
China (China Reflections in 360°)
Norway
Frozen Ever After
Mexico
Test Track
Back in Kenya for Frozen Lemonade Slushy and Elephant
Firework Show
Left at 10:30
In Summary
During our Disney week overall, we walked 52.3 miles, spent 13+12+8+8 = 41 hours in Disney parks, got a high score by my dad of 191,000 points in Toy Story Mania, experienced Rise of the Resistance and Flight of the Avatar for the first time, explored 12 countries, ate countless yummy treats, enjoyed fireworks in 3 different parks, and had one fantastic trip. Thanks, Mom, Dad, Katie, Emily, Megan, Luke, Matthew, Cassie, and Mickey & Minnie for a great week!
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