Tag Archives: Disney World

Disney World Magic and Memories

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Over the span of three full days, we jumped headfirst into all Disney World has to offer.

Hanging with these three at Disney World was a magical adventure! We jumped right in.

If that opening sentence seems a little abrupt or random to you, please read this past post that explains how we found ourselves at WDW in the first place.

Sloan poses for a photo with Sid’s parents and her cousin, Henry. It was awesome to see all of Sidney’s family again.

But for this post I want to jump right to the chase. As I am fond of doing, I wanted to highlight 10 themes/observations from our time at Disney World.

Beau, Sloan, and their cousin, Jack, wait at the entrance to Magic Kingdom.

Disney’s Yacht Club Resort – The four nights we spent at Disney World were under the roof of the Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. After most recently staying in a cruise ship cabin that the four of us could hardly move in, we enjoyed our more spacious quarters. I especially liked our balcony that overlooked the hotel grounds, the distinctive hotel scent that hit you the moment you walked in, and the adjoining door that connected us to Sid’s parents’ room.

Sloan hangs out on the balcony of our hotel room at the Disney Yacht Resort Club. We had a great stay!

Family – Speaking of my wife’s parents, this trip was special because we had the blessing of vacationing with my in-laws and Sid’s sisters (plus their families). Because they live in South Carolina, making the hour flight from Myrtle Beach to Orlando was manageable. It was awesome to catch up with everyone but perhaps nothing was better than watching all the cousins engage and play with each other.

Our Mathis group takes a couple moments to rest inside of Epcot. It was great to see everyone!

Packed Days – We tried to make the best use of our days with the limited time (three full days) that we had. Our crew hit up Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot. Disney lines are long so you must prioritize what you want to ride. It was interesting to observe the distinct vibes and unique characteristics of the parks! I liked each one for different reasons.

I liked all the parks for different reasons but it is tough to beat Magic Kingdom.

Character Breakfast – One of my favorite moments from our time at Disney was the character breakfast at Animal Kingdom. However, this isn’t near the top of my list solely because we got to meet Mickey but rather because of the food! The breakfast buffet was delicious and by far the best park food I ate. The French toast was delightful (perhaps the ample whipped cream had something to do with it?) and I loved that they randomly offered chicken curry as well.

All the cousins pose for a photo with Mickey at the character breakfast at Animal Kingdom. Best food all trip!

Sloan’s Fearlessness – I felt proud as I observed Sloan’s bravery. She rode all the coasters and thrill rides without thinking twice. She definitely doesn’t get her fearlessness from her dad—I don’t usually ride roller coasters—so it was neat to see her exhibit more guts than me.

Sloan was up for anything in Disney World and was a lot of fun to be around.

Favorite Rides – Even though I wasn’t usually with the group hopping on the big coasters, I still rode some rides that were fun and very well-done. Ratatouille (Epcot) was cute and incorporated aroma effects, DINOSAUR (Animal Kingdom) was intense and mission-based, Mickey’s Runaway Railway (Hollywood Studios) was an adventure, and racking up the high score of our group on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (Magic Kingdom) provided me some bragging rights. However, I have a soft spot for the Magic Kingdom classics like Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, and the Winnie the Pooh ride.

Hanging out with Beau and Sloan on the Ratatouille ride at Epcot.

Bonding With Beau – While Sloan was out being brave with the other thrill-seekers in our group, I spent a lot of time with Beau. I had so much fun with him! We hit up the tea cups, carousel, Dumbo ride, and many more. While not on rides, we tried pulling a sword out of a stone, ate Mickey ice cream bars, and played in splash pads. I am always touched by what a sweet boy Beau is and I feel thankful for the memories we made together.

I had a blast with Beau at Disney. Such a sweet boy!

Fireworks – Each park offers nightly fireworks and we took full advantage. Sid and I received front row seats for the Epcot show on Friday compliments of Traveler’s Insurance and our whole family group watched the Magic Kingdom display on Thursday. But the most magical experience came the first evening we were at Disney. While in our hotel room late at night, we heard fireworks exploding outside the building. Sloan rushed to the balcony and got to watch that evening’s 11 p.m. Epcot show. The view we had from our balcony was superb and provided the perfect way to close out that first evening.

Sloan and Sidney stroll as the fireworks fill the sky at Magic Kingdom.

Character Encounters – Beyond the character breakfast I mentioned earlier, the kids had an awesome time engaging with Disney heroes at other moments during our trip. They met Elsa and Anna in the duo’s summer home, randomly encountered Asha from “Wish” at Epcot, ran into Chip and Dale in our hotel lobby, and crossed paths with Daisy. Each time, Sloan and Beau pulled out their autograph books for signatures. These Disney cast members who portray the characters are expertly trained and undoubtedly talented!

The kids met a lot of Disney characters. This photo shows some of them.

Mass At St. Mary, Queen of the Universe – On Sunday morning, we attended mass at Mary, Queen of the Universe Basilica. It was built to serve the large population of Catholics who visit Disney each year. Seating approximately 2,000 people, the church is beautiful and the services are reverent. What a blessing it was to spend the third Sunday of Easter there.

Beau and Sloan stand in front of Mary, Queen of the Universe Basilica in Orlando.

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I am grateful our children experienced Disney World at an age of reason. Although Beau’s memories might be a little fuzzy 10 years from now, I know Sloan will forever remember this trip. I have never declared myself a Disney freak but I can at least admit that a palpable sense of magic does float through the parks. I hope Sloan and Beau saved some of that pixie dust to pair with their beloved Stitch stuffy souvenirs they brought home.

It was such a joy to spend time at Disney with these two little monkeys.

Thanks again to Sidney for helping us get to Disney via her Traveler’s Insurance professional prowess. I also owe additional gratitude to my wife for the enthusiasm and planning she exhibited in preparation for this very special trip.

Thanks to Sidney for making our Disney World trip possible.

Hats off to the Mouse himself for a great time—we sure enjoyed ourselves, Mickey! Don’t Blink.

Our Impromptu Trip to Disney World

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It didn’t take long after we left Myrtle Beach for the “suggestions” to start. As Sid, Sloan, and I started our evacuation to Jacksonville, my wife started to pitch me an idea.

Before we had even entered Georgia, Sidney had made her case that visiting Disney World while we escaped Hurricane Florence would make perfect sense. With mid-September a relative tame time by Disney standards and with Jacksonville only 2.5 hours away from Orlando, she had a point. With time to spare and a Disney-obessed wife along with a Mickey Mouse-loving daughter, I really couldn’t say no. By the time we rolled into Jacksonville on Wednesday night, I told Sid we could go. By Friday morning, we were walking through the Disney World gates.

This is a photo I snapped as we drove through the Disney World arch.

That left us with a short amount of time to prepare. On Thursday, we hatched our plan. We would make it a day trip and only visit Magic Kingdom. Sidney did research all afternoon and we purchased tickets that night. If someone told us a week prior that we would be going to Disney World in the near future, we would have laughed.

We left early Friday and made it to the Disney World parking lot by 10 a.m. We had to take a shuttle from the parking lot followed by a ferry boat ride to actually get inside the park. Once inside, the three of us found ourselves on Main Street USA right in front of Cinderella’s Castle. It was a surreal feeling.

Last week at this time, I had no idea we would be going to Disney World. A couple days later, we were right in front of Cinderella’s Castle.

The “how crazy is this moment?” soon passed as I realized something: It was hot! Like really, really hot. But the heat discomfort soon became an afterthought as I realized something else. Sloan was laughing and clapping her hands wildly as she watched a bunch of Disney characters and other cast members perform a dance number right in front of the castle. With a giddy Sidney crouched by Sloan pointing out everything that was going on, I knew at that point that we had made the right decision to go.

This picture, taken shortly after we entered the Disney World gates, says it all. I knew we had made the right decision.

With the impromptu Disney trip already off on a great note, we started to explore. We visited a couple of the different lands and rode Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, and It’s A Small World After All. Except for a couple antsy moments when Haunted Mansion stalled midway through, Sloan loved the rides! She sat between us and enjoyed every minute of the classic Disney attractions.

Sloan enjoyed the rides we went on during the morning.

Wait times for all the rides were 25 minutes or less. However, time flew by. After riding those three attractions and walking around, it was already lunch time. We ate at a Pinocchio-themed, air-conditioned restaurant.

Sloan enjoying her chicken nuggets and juice box at the Pinocchio-themed restaurant.

After lunch, we went back to Cinderella’s Castle and enjoyed probably the best part of the day. We had front row seats to the daily parade that showcased both classic Disney characters (Mickey, Donald, Goofy, etc.) and the movie Disney characters (Aladin, Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, etc.). As the big floats passed by and the characters engaged with Sloan, I truly felt the Disney magic.

The Disney parade was special. It was enjoyed thoroughly by the three of us.

On a high from the parade, we went on more rides – Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, and Dumbo the Flying Elephant attraction. With the heat starting to take its toll, we decided to seek out shelter.

Can you spot Sid?

We entered a structure made to resemble a large circus tent. Once inside, Sloan had the opportunity to meet Daisy Duck and Minnie Mouse. Although happy to see them at first, she would retreat to Sid as they crept closer. It didn’t take long for Sloan to eventually embrace them, following the lead of her mommy who hugged each one to show her that it was okay.

Sid and Sloan with Daisy and Minnie.

Did you think we would do Disney World without eating ice cream? Sidney got a Mickey ice cream sandwich and I got something called a Dole Whip, which is ice cream and pineapple fused together, a Disney World specialty I am told. Of course Sloan enjoyed generous portions of each.

Sidney with her Mickey ice cream sandwich.

Time continued to go by at a rapid pace. Because of a Halloween event that night, Magic Kingdom closed at 6 p.m. With only about 60 minutes left, we headed back to Mainstreet USA to pick out a souvenir. Sloan chose a baby Dumbo stuffed animal. Around this time, another parade was taking place. This particular one had an international flavor but still included all of the classic Disney characters. As the parade concluded, we watched as military guests retired the American flag and performed the Star Spangled Banner.

Sid barely beat me in the Lightyear Space Ranger Spin ride.

It was time for the grand finale! With just a few minutes to spare, we stood in line for our personal visit with Mickey Mouse. We were extrememly hot and looked absolutely miserable but I assure you that we were happy inside. Sloan constantly says “Mickey Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Mickey Mouse,” so it was a big deal that she could meet him in the flesh (or perhaps I should say in the furry costume?).

After a long and HOT day, we took this photo with Mickey (don’t judge).

After changing Sloan’s diaper it was back on the ferry boat and the shuttle. We got in the car and our daughter dozed off. The whole drive back to Jacksonville, Sid and I talked Disney non-stop, looking up various Disney-related Wikipedia articles along the way.

By the time we left the park, Sloan was one tired girl!

That night, before we went to bed, Sidney whispered to me, “Thanks for making my wish come true.” I am not the biggest Disney fan, but to hear my wife say that along with the joy I saw on Sloan’s face the entire day made me really happy that we visited the happiest place on Earth. We will hold these memories tight forever. Don’t Blink.

Disneyland is Just Better Than Disney World

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Thumbing through Parade Magazine today I couldn’t help but read the feature on Disneyland. In July the park will turn 60 years old and the magazine pointed out a few interesting facts about its very successful run. Reading about it brought up a semi-serious debate I have with Sidney from time to time.

Sidney will tell you that she has visited Disney World around 8 times. I have visited Disney World twice. I have also visited Disneyland. We will go back and forth on which park is better. It gets pretty serious.

Maybe it is my west coast bias, but I think Disneyland is better. Although I made that trip with my family when I was in fourth grade, I remember it very fondly. In fact, it goes down in the Reser history books as the best family vacation we ever went on. In the past five years, I have made the trip to Orlando twice. Both times I stayed at a Disney resort property and of course visited Disney World. Perhaps it was my old age, but I just didn’t think it was all that great. A little more on this in just a little bit.

Sidney uses her veteran Disney World status as reason on why that park trumps Disneyland. She has had numerous fabulous experiences going as a young girl with her family and then with her young niece as well. To her, there isn’t a better place on the planet so it must top the similar park in California. She also uses arguments that I can’t deny…Disney World is newer and bigger.

But in my opinion, newer and bigger isn’t always better. Disneyland is more intimate. In comparing my experiences in both parks, it just felt like Walt Disney’s spirit was hovering around me closer in Anaheim than it was in Orlando. Disneyland is just more magical, more historical, and more original. You can’t deny the originality aspect, Disney World is an east coast replica of the place that was built 16 years before it.

I think Disneyland wins on the intangibles as well. The consistent and pleasant sunny conditions that characterize life in southern California contrast with the unpredictable and stormy weather that plagues Orlando. While Disney World definitely receives many gorgeous days, it also is prone to nasty days as well. Trust me, I know. Yes, I already alluded to it but Disneyland will also always come first. It was the prototype and Disney World will simply never catch up to Disneyland in terms of nostalgia and pop culture references. Finally, Walt Disney practically built Disneyland with his own hands. He was five years dead before the Florida park opened.

Okay, there you have it. Once again I give you a heavy dose of my opinion. If I ever win a professional sports championship and they shove the microphone in my face I am telling them that I am going to Disneyland. Now it is your turn. What park do you feel is superior…Disneyland or Disney World? I am curious to know. Don’t Blink.