Disney World, of course!
and we had been anxiously counting down.
We stayed at The Polynesian this time,
and really enjoyed the cool pool area
and the super easy access to Magic Kingdom via the monorail.
We spent the first two days at MK.
Ryleigh was very charmed by all the princesses
and character meet and greets.
Lexi was less into that this time around
and much more into all the rides.
The more thrilling they were, the better they were for her.
There wasn't a single one the whole trip that she's wasn't game for.
Both girls loved the parades, the fireworks, the performances,
and just all the hoopla that takes place at the park.
Here are some highlights from the first two days.
Every few hours, there's a cute little show on the castle steps
complete with a bunch of the princesses, Mickey and Minnie
We hit up a bunch of the rides on day 1
Mad Hatter tea cups, the carousel, Dumbo, Splash Mountain
Then, we went back to the hotel
to watch the fireworks from the beach
We started Day 2 bright and early
with a character breakfast
at Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary Hotel.
Ryleigh started off a bit nervous to meet the characters up close.
Then, Mickey gave our American Girl Doll a hug
and she was sold…
not only on Mickey, but also all his friends.
After breakfast,
we granted Lexi's request
to spend some time swimming at the pool.
The hotel has a Hawaiian theme to it,
and the pool and water slide areas are meant to mimic a volcano.
The girls had a blast swimming and splashing around.
Next, it was time to head to Magic Kingdom.
The girls wanted to take the boat over,
and so we did. Your wish is our command!
We had fast passes to meet Anna and Elsa,
which turned out to be such a sweet experience
The princesses took quite a bit of time with the girls -
pretending to use their ice powers
and talking all about snowman building.
Next up, Vic and I both took turns riding Space Mountain with Alexis.
They let you cut the line if you have a fast pass
and are waiting with a younger sibling.
I can still remember riding this roller coaster in third grade.
It was just as awesome all these years later.
You're completely in the dark,
riding through outer space, no idea what twist and turn is coming up next.
A little archery practice with Merida.
The girls made sure to tell her that they were part Scottish, also,
and shared their last name with her.
A friend of a friend from UVa
happened to be in Disney at the same time with her family,
so we all met up for the afternoon parade.
The kids hit it off and were fast friends.
There's nothing better than nighttime at the park.
There's just such a fun energy that everyone feeds off of.
You catch a second wind, the whole place is aglow,
and you can't help but have a total blast -
whether you're young or just young at heart.
This was our first time to ride the new Seven Dwarves roller coaster,
and it was one of our favorite rides the whole trip.
We spent the rest of the night riding Goofy's Barnstormer over and over again.
This was Ryleigh's first roller coaster and she absolutely loved it.
We took turn after turn before heading over to Test Track.
As we rode around the track,
the fireworks were going off overhead.
That's just the kind of magic you can only find in Disney!
