Magical Disney Vacation #1

We had planned Disney Vacation for a couple years but we just could not find the proper time. There was always something going on, such a classic excuse. Our original thought was to go with Mario, Restu’s oldest brother, and family to Walt Disney World at Orlando, Florida. But, because of unanticipated event, Mario had to call off their trip.

With two kids between four to five years old, Nanda and Milcah have the right ages to experience the magical vacation at Disney World. We were settling down on airlines, Disney park tickets, and resort reservation since beginning of the year so this journey was something that we had yearned and waited for.

We went to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studio parks. Every park offered different attractions. Milcah loves princesses and she just could not stop talking about the castle, princesses, Minnie, and Daisy when we were in Magic Kingdom. Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade was held at three in the afternoon and the weather was too hot and humid for Ohioans, but we still waited on the sidewalk fifteen minutes before it started. Even though this was the sixth time that I have been to Disney, including three times to Disney World in Florida, I was still amazed with all the characters and parade.

After experiencing The Magic Carpets of Alladin, Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel, and Snow White’s Scary Adventures, Restu had enough kids attractions so he suggested a thrill ride (at least for our kids according to me) and to our surprise, our kids dared to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. All right! That means mom and dad can benefit from more roller coaster rides with kids now. We were so tired after our first day in the park that we basically went to bed after taking a quick shower in our hotel, Disney’s Pop Century Resort. We could not wait for the next day. The kids would have a lovely breakfast with Disney characters.

We already reserved from Columbus to have a breakfast with characters at Tusker House, located inside Animal Kingdom. It was American breakfast with a touch of African ethnic food. It sounded and tasted so good! The kids fell in love with the adorable Mickey’s pancake. I have to say that it was the finest food during our trip. Mickey, Goofy, Donald, and Daisy were taking turn to visit our table and take pictures with the kids. Milcah even kissed the silly Goofy. They love him! At the end of our breakfast, the kids and characters were dancing and playing African instruments together, going around tables.

The weather was surprisingly nice on our second day at Disney World due to all big and tall trees that have existed and were planted everywhere in this park.

We encourage everybody not to miss the Kilimanjaro Safaris, the best safari that we have come across so far. We still can not figure out how the open-sided safari vehicle with us sitting in it and the lions not too far without any obstruction could be in the same area. All I could think about is that, we were glad that all lions found us not too interesting and they were napping. Maybe, there is a barrier between us and the lions but we could not catch a glimpse of that at all.

We split up into two groups because Milcah’s height did not meet the requirements for the Expedition Everest, the big thrill, roller coaster type ride for bid kids and adults filled with a close encounter with the infamous Yeti. Therefore, Milcah and I saw The Musical Finding Nemo. Milcah had a blast watching Nemo and we got the first front row seats. When we met again with Restu and Nanda, Nanda was so eager telling me that the Yeti broke down the track and the train went backward.

All of us also got the fast pass tickets to Dinosaur, a thrill ride goes back 65 millions years to experience jungle’s life with mild mannered and carnivorous dinosaurs. It pumped up the adrenaline in our body with the tingling sensation in our stomach. We felt so vibrant and alive after that.

Our journey to Animal Kingdom Park was fun and memorable. Before we left, we took pictures of The Tree of Life, a 14-story, 50-foot wide tree. It is the centerpiece and icon in this park and we could see why.

Hollywood Studios — the park that captures the glitz and glamour of the Hollywood Heydays from the 1930s and 1940s — is our last park. Restu and Nanda loved Star Wars so Star Tours, a full-motion simulator attraction that takes us on an intergalactic adventure, was our first choice.

Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show — a live attraction reveals the filmmaking secrets — and Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular — a live show that recreates many of the memorable scenes from the first Indiana Jones movie — caught Restu’s attention since he and movie are pretty much joined at the hip. The shows really educated us how special effects in movies are made.

It was the longest line to Toy Story Mania. Our friend suggested that the kids would like this interactive, 3D attraction featuring the characters from Toy Story. We were exhausted and almost fell asleep a couple times while waiting in the line for 2 hours. This ride did not do much to adults but we could see why kids love it.

To complete our vacation, we watched Fantasmic, a spectacular nighttime fireworks and water show starring Mickey and other Disney characters and features classic Disney music and songs and laser lights. We managed to sit on the first row and Restu was so ready with his Nikon and tripod but it turned out to be a bad idea. The camera was wet from the water splashes. At the end, we all had fun and would definitely visit Disney World again when the kids are older. When we tucked in the kids to their beds and kissed their foreheads, the smiles on their faces really told how magical Disney was for them.

Photographer: Restu Photography