People have been asking "Was it so fun?" and sadly, the one word that keeps cropping up in my mind is "exhausting"! It WAS fun, don't get me wrong, but having a crabby 3 year old who constantly wants something was a bit tiring. Gavin loved all the rides (as I knew he would), well except for Pirates of the Caribbean - he still tells me he didn't like that pirate ride - so that part was a ton of fun! I think I underestimated how overwhelming it could be for a 3 year old, and especially for a 3 year old who doesn't like loud noises or big crowds. You kind of forget all that in the excitement to see him ride the mini-roller coaster. He wouldn't nap in the stroller, so that was a pain as well. I had these grand visions of him just conking out and we'd find a nice shady spot to sit while he napped....yup, didn't happen. We even hauled the heavy stroller down there so it would be more comfy for him to lay in. He did nap in a park once....for about 20 minutes.....while waiting to ride Dumbo....and during the ride on Dumbo....on Grandpa's shoulder....and then we got off and laid him in the stroller.....and he woke up! We made it to Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Typhoon Lagoon. As I anticipated, he wanted to see all the characters, but not actually meet them! We didn't wait in too long of lines because of this, but he said he wanted to meet Buzz and Woody so we waited 30 minutes for them and he still wouldn't come any closer than about 4 feet! Oh well, saved me from having to stand in character lines all day! He LOVED all things water so it was a hoot to watch him go down all the big slides at the water parks. There was a pretty big one at the campground, too, and he would go up and down endlessly! He told me once we got home that his favorite part of Disney World was the buses. Yup, the buses that you would ride to GET to the attractions - THAT was his favorite part. Should have known! We had the meal plan (for "free") and that made things easier while we were there, but still not sure it's a deal. Every sit down dinner would have cost us $75 if we were paying, but then again, we rarely order dessert and that's what came with our meal plan. So while convenient, I still need to do some research to see if it would be a deal for future trips. Of course we will go back, but it may be a couple years when Gavin's a bit older and able to hang with the big kids without napping and such. We had a good vacation over all, but I felt like I needed a week to recover once I got home!
Loved pulling his new suitcase through the airport!
Jon and Gavin at Port Orleans where we stayed
On the boat to Magic Kingdom
The group have arrived at Magic Kingdom
Jon and Gavin ride the Barnstormer roller coaster
He got to meet Donald Duck - briefly and no closer than this!
Exhausted and hot, he spied these fans from 100 yards away and HAD to have one!
Grandpa and Gavin racing on the speedway
The one and only castle shot with all of us in it
Enjoying ice cream from both Grandpa and Grandma - is this considered a double dip?
We stayed late to see the fireworks one night
Typhoon Lagoon waterslide for kids
Our visit to Hollywood studios
Our visit to Hollywood studios
After standing in line to meet Woody....yup nice to meet you freakishly large cowboy that I don't plan on getting closer to than this!
Eating dinner at 50's primetime cafe - Gavin got a special birthday cupcake to celebrate turning 3!
Eating at Whispering Canyon at Wilderness Lodge - one of my favorites!
And now one of Gavin's too since you can run around with a wooden horse all through the restaurant without getting in trouble!
Mickey's Backyard BBQ dinner - still wanted nothing to do with the characters.
But definitely enjoyed dessert
I'll just watch Mickey dance from here, thank you very much!
Even his complete favorites - Lightning and Mater - this is as close as he would allow us to wheel him. Sigh.
Jon tried out and won American Idol (he sang Amazed) and got to go back at 7pm for the finale show. He lost to some guy who sang "Circle of Life". Rigged.
We tried 2 times to ride Toy Story Mania and finally made it! Gavin actually kept his glasses on for the entire ride (after he broke his first pair)!
But definitely enjoyed dessert
I'll just watch Mickey dance from here, thank you very much!
Even his complete favorites - Lightning and Mater - this is as close as he would allow us to wheel him. Sigh.
Jon tried out and won American Idol (he sang Amazed) and got to go back at 7pm for the finale show. He lost to some guy who sang "Circle of Life". Rigged.
We tried 2 times to ride Toy Story Mania and finally made it! Gavin actually kept his glasses on for the entire ride (after he broke his first pair)!
Doesn't enjoy large crowds, silly, fictional characters, naps in public? Loves dessert, cars, speed and water rides? Gavin must be partly my son! :)
ReplyDeleteCute posting. Thanks for the update.