Well I've been buried under a pile of photos ever since and have only just now got them sorted. Looking through them all has reminded me what an amazing time we had and how much we actually packed into the 2 weeks. With that in mind I'll be breaking down the trip into a series of posts with hints and tips along the way for anyone thinking of taking that holiday of a lifetime themselves.
So lets kick it all off with a look at some of the Disney parks we made it to....
We were lucky enough for Disney to provide us with a 4 day 'Park Hopper' ticket. Being a complete novice I had no idea what a Park Hopper was so had to read up on it. Basically this ticket allows you same-day access to all 4 of the Disney theme parks – Magic Kingdom park, Epcot, Disney's Animal Kingdom park and Disney's Hollywood Studios - we also had the Water Park Fun option added which meant access to Disney's Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. Super lucky us!
Let me first say that this is not cheap. The cost of the tickets for 5 people (two adults and three 3 - 9 year olds) works out at an eye watering $1872. But this is Disney World. And does that stop people? No way, no how.
Our first port of call was Disney's Animal Kingdom - often not the number one park on people's lists, but we had decided to ease ourselves in slowly.
The kids were thrilled with their special 'First Time' badges and their entry cards (which you keep for all the parks). Dad wasn't too pleased that he ended up with Minnie though....
For me this was the perfect start. A great mix of nature and fun rides, it had a laid back vibe that can be hard to find in a theme park.
Our absolute favourite was the Kilimanjaro Safari that took you animal spotting through jungles and plains. All great fun until we were taken off-route over a rickety bridge that started to shake and crack as we went over it.... After a few worrying glances from the kids they realised it was all part of the Disney experience - and of course they had never been nervous in the first place...Yeah right!
The dinosaur crazy boys also loved Dinoland which hosted some great rides and some great downtime attractions. Our three kids were at all different stages of the rides height restrictions so we had a 42'', 48'' and 52'' divide, which meant a bit splitting up and arranging of meeting places.
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| Gramps and 42'' |
Here we all went to the Finding Nemo show - worth it just for the bubble wonder at the end, and Kaya and her Dad went on the first of their many, many rollercoaster rides together. A great bonding experience by all accounts, but then what would I know...
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| Taken in Legoland, but you get the idea... |
Despite missing a few of the big attractions due to sudden and heavy downpours Animal Kingdom was all in all a big hit for us - but perhaps not for the big thrill seekers.
Recommended: Kilimanjaro Safari, Dinoland USA, Flights of Wonder bird show, Rainforest Cafe (dining).
Coming next...Epcot and Magic Kingdom
More Travel Reviews from blogs I love:
Centre Parks Holiday Review - Actually Mummy
Holidays in Sri Lanka - Life as Alice
Family holiday on the high seas - JB Mum of one
North Norfolk Breaks - Parentshaped
Legoland Windsor - Mari's World
Peppa Pig World Review - Mummy from the Heart
Mark Warner - Cambridge Mummy
Disclosure: As stated I was sent 5 Park Hopper passes for the purpose of this review. All words, images and views remain my own.
