Yesterday my mom took Tucker and I to Disney World. Tucker doesn't have any Disney movies (the only thing he knows about is the movie Cars), so he was a bit clueless at first as to what was all going on. But we had a really fun (and tiring!) day, and he is definitely going to remember Mickey and Minnie and Goofy and Donald for next year. My mom got Tucker a Mickey Mouse shirt, so it will be a memory prompt which will mean we will forever after be unable to visit GoGo in her pink house without a child begging for Disney World.
The highlights of the day were the carousel which Tucker loved and had no line, the parade we saw with all the characters, and a show with the characters staged beneath the castle. The teacups were also fun and the line was short, which made it great too. Tucker liked the Winnie the Pooh ride but the 20+ minute line made it feel like the ride was not really worth it (it was a bit of a weird ride, in my opinion, in terms of what was hung on the walls which you passed in your little honey pot/car). Mickey's Philharmagic is a 3D show that was recommended as a must-see for all ages. It was fine, but not great, and it terrified Tucker. It was the first time he had been in a theater and the music was too loud... he spent the whole show on my lap with his eyes buried in his arm and me trying to cover his ears. It's a Small World was not as good as I remembered--the imagery on the walls of all the different cultures was hokey (almost a bit insulting at points), they changed the music so the theme song is more muted and not as memorable, and the line was long.
Another highlight for Tucker was lunchtime where he demolished two huge hot dogs (equivalent at least to three normal ones), half a nectarine, and lots of fries. It is amazing to me what can fit in that little boy. The lowlight of the day was waiting in a 30 minute line to ride Dumbo, and have Tucker freak out right as we're the next group to board because he has to go potty. We have to ditch the ride when we were supposed to board but we still couldn't quite get to the potty in time. It was sad.
Next time, I would make reservations for a sit-down lunch to have a break. I'd also not do as many of the rides with the lines. The lines were what made the day hard. I'd use the FastPass system to schedule one or two rides, do Dumbo first thing (doesn't use FastPass) and otherwise do the things that don't have lines, or much for lines--the Carousel, the tea cups, the train around the park, the playground, looking at Mickey's house, the shows, the Swiss Family Robinson, the Steamboat, etc.
But it was a good day, and Tucker was a champ without a nap. Today Tucker is proudly wearing the Mickey Mouse shirt he picked out, and we've already looked at pictures of goofy on my computer. I think we'll remember Disney World for a long time... until we come back to GoGo's house and he begs to go again. :)
