Our day at Disney was one that we were all excited about and I was so nervous about. I did a ton of research and I knew that things were pretty hardcore but let me tell you- I felt safer at Disney than I did at any place of business locally to me, that's for sure!
We left super early in morning so we could get there as the doors opens and I'm so glad that we did.
I'll be honest and say right now, the reduced crowd size was AMAZING and I hope they continue with it. At no point did any of us feel overwhelmed by people around us, the lines weren't awful at all, and the park was incredibly clean.Right off the bat the kids were excited. Penelope and Lucy had never been there before so I was excited for them to see it all. We've been really talking it up for YEARS and I think them seeing the castle as we came in was pretty great.
I won't lie, not having character meet and greets was kind of a bummer. We only really saw one character not on a parade and that was Buzz (a favorite of the girls) and this was their photo op. I'm just happy we got to have one, it was fun and Lucy really thought Buzz was 100% real.
We rode all of the rides except Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain (Pep and Lu were too small for them) and the Snow White & The Seven Dwarves (that line was too long all day and it didn't feel like a must-do). We also didn't get to do the Haunted Mansion (we were SO bummed) because it wasn't open.
OK, real talk, WHY IS CINDERELLA'S CASTLE PINK?! I even looked back in my older pictures, it wasn't pink. Why is it pink?! I hate it pink.
I haven't ever been to Disney during Christmas so I had to take an obligatory photo of the Christmas tree.
We did manage (by absolute fluke) to see the toy soldiers, the band, and the parade (all at different times). We saw all of the princesses during the parade, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and of course Mickey and friends. Penelope and Lucy were BLOWN AWAY and kept telling me they were REAL. It was pretty cute.
Oh yes, they got their first pair of Mickey ears, we had to get sunglasses because I forgot theirs all together on our trip, and their "First Visit" buttons!
We stayed open until close and it was such a great day. I mean, this photo was around 3 p.m. and look how empty it was! It was really great to not be crammed with people, to be honest.
Matt swears he was having a good time but he looks like the grumpiest person in the happiest place on Earth, right??
We spent a lot of time carrying Pep and Lu and my back STILL hurts. I couldn't do it very long but I thought this was a cute picture.
Oh yes, I got one of Penelope in a mood. Of course. Oh! We also loved the way they do food now. You can't just go up and order something, you have to order on the app, pay, and pick your pick up time. At lunch we struggled a bit because we were learning as we go. By dinner, we were pros! We picked a place close to the Jungle Cruise ride, we figured it would be about 45 minutes before we were done with the line and ride, so we chose that as our pick up time. By the time we were ready, you literally go up, get your food, sit down, and that's that. It is so slick and you aren't stuck waiting in horrible lines with crying, hungry kids.
The other bummer is there is no night-time fireworks, parade, party. I was bummed about this because there wasn't going to be Elsa doing her thing either. The castle DID look very cool though so I can't get too mad about it.
Overall? Disney was incredibly safe, incredibly clean, the employees were so helpful. Multiple times during the day we'd say thank you to the workers we came across and they just looked so grateful. I think people working, in any capacity, during this pandemic are stressed out and us being just a little bit nicer is everything.
Tomorrow I'll talk about the beach and coming home. I am so glad that we had this day, it made me so happy seeing my kids so happy, even if it is only one of a handful of days this year.
3 comments:
Your kiddos look so happy, I'm so happy you all were able to get a vacation. You deserve it! And you've reminded me that I can't wait to get Hayden to Disney.
The pandemic has never been worse. Sounds like a good time for a vacation to Florida, am I right?!
I love that you had a great time and that you felt safe. Hopefully they will keep some of these new plans in place in the future. I love the whole "ordering food via the app" part instead of having to wait in lines. I know my nieces and nephew can get super grumpy if we're waiting too long for food. LOL And having less people is always a plus. I hate being crowded in with tons of people. Love all the photos - the one of you and Matt holding the girls is adorable.
-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
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