Part 1
Participants:
Chris, 29 years old
Michelle, 27 years old
Ben, 22 months old
Day 1, Friday November 30, 2001
Hooray, we're really there!
Ahh, the sight of palm trees. Last night before it had been too dark to really appreciate the fact that we were once again among the beautiful Florida foliage. But this morning, I was ready to enjoy it, and I began to get that overcome-with-giddiness feeling. This is the same feeling that caused me to leave my new husband in the dust at the Magic Kingdom boat dock on the first day of our honeymoon when I couldn't wait to get into the park. (Sorry, honey!) By the time we saw the Magic Kingdom parking booths, my eyes welled up with tears. It had been much too long.
Chris and I, as a family, had never experienced parking at WDW before, having always relied on WDW transportation in the past. I can remember parking at the Magic Kingdom as a child, and my Mom and Dad double checking each other on where we had parked during the entire tram ride. As we approached the ticket booth, a monorail whizzed by, evoking the first of many "Choo-choo!"'s from Ben.
Next came a major moment for me personally--purchasing my first WDW annual pass. (It was Chris's first AP as well, but somehow he wasn't as moved.) The lady at the ticket booth asked "Who is the Disney lover here?" I'm surprised my Disney giddiness hadn't already given me away as the obvious candidate.
We headed down to the ferry which was waiting at the dock. Because Chris and I had always stayed at the Wilderness Lodge, I hadn't ridden the big ferry boat since my childhood trips, and this brought back some wonderful sensations. The ferry was much less crowded on this trip than I ever remember it as a child. We could see the roof of "our" Wilderness Lodge from the boat, and I felt a twinge of sadness that we wouldn't be staying there this trip. That sadness quickly dissolved away as the Castle drew nearer and nearer.
Our euphoria about arriving at the Magic Kingdom for the first time in over three years was somewhat dampened when we caught our first glimpse of what appeared to be enormous security lines. At first, I thought there was only one guard at the end of each of two extremely long lines, and felt much consternation at the thought of being kept from my castle for the considerable amount of time it would take to navigate our first queue at WDW. Upon closer examination, however, I realized that each of the two huge lines was actually a series of several much shorter lines, and saw that the wait would not be long. We picked what appeared to be the shortest line at the time, and were rewarded with the bonus of being searched by a very handsome security guy. I was hopeful that this was a foreshadowing of things to come with Disney security.
Finally, around 10:00 a.m., we made it to the turnstiles. Chris was asked to use his fingers in the biometrics reader for the annual pass, but because I was pushing a stroller through the gated portion of the entrance, I did not have to bear my fingers. In retrospect, I realize this was an unusual occurrence, as I was asked to use my fingers at every other turnstile on the trip.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Having never been to WDW during the holidays before, our first order of business was to "ooh" and "ahh" at the tree, and at the view down Main Street with the Christmas garland and wreaths. I am a person who loves the holidays, and gets very wrapped up in all of the emotion of the season. Having all of those feelings combined with the elation of being back in such a happy place made me tear up once again. We slowly strolled down Main Street, soaking up the sights, sounds and smells. This was a first for me, as I usually run down Main Street my first day in order to get to my ride of first choice as quickly as possible. Today, though, I wanted to savor the experience. Ben walked most of the distance as we pushed his empty stroller. I will never forget the look of wonder on his face as he took it all in, or the "Oh, wow!"'s given to each balloon vendor we passed.
When we reached the hub, we made a right and continued our leisurely stroll around the Castle. The first day feeling is so wonderful, when your senses have not yet been dulled by the high level of stimulation which is WDW, and you are still acutely aware of all of the wonder surrounding you. I saw so many families smiling and enjoying being together as we walked around the Castle. And then, coming over the bridge from Tomorrowland, we saw another wonder…Mickey Mouse himself! He paused to wave to Ben, and then continued on his way to Toontown, I suppose. To my surprise, our gregarious little Ben did not wave, nor did he say "Hi" nor "Bye-bye" to Mickey. His only reaction was his little blue eyes growing very big and round.
The first ride
We proceeded on into Fantasyland, and the first ride we happened upon was Pooh. The posted wait time was 10 minutes, so we decided to give it a try. Ben got pretty squirmy in line, and we realized that any wait greater than 10 minutes was certainly out of the question for this trip. As we approached the front of the line, we started talking to Ben about all of the pictures on the wall of Roo and Owl and Christopher Robin with a red balloon. Luckily, Ben was just learning his colors, so asking him to name the color of various items was a great distraction during all of the lines we waited in.
When we boarded the ride and the honey pot began to move, Ben looked a little bit unsure, but once we rounded the corner and Ben saw all of his friends, he had a wonderful time on the ride. He pointed to everyone he recognized and named them "Pooh" "Piglet" "Roo" "Eeyore" "Tigger" with great excitement. Ben was sad when it was time to exit the ride, and I feared that a tantrum was imminent, but we just told him to say bye-bye to the ride and blow it kisses, and he did that and was fine.
Next we happened upon Snow White. I remembered that this ride was a little bit scary, but Ben loves the Dwarves, so I felt we should ride. At home, Ben will beg to watch "Dig-dig" which is what he calls the Heigh-ho scene from the movie. He also likes the scene where they all dance in the cottage. We only let Ben watch excerpts of Disney movies right now, so we can fast forward through the scary parts. I was unsure of how Ben would handle the scary parts of the ride, but I decided it was worth the risk. Worst case scenario, he would be screaming throughout a ride that lasted only a few short minutes, and since there was no wait, and they were sending some dwarf beds through empty, Ben's potential screams would not ruin the ride experience for many other guests.
We boarded the ride, and I must admit that I had forgotten how dark and scary this ride really is, which is probably a good thing, because if memory had served me correctly, we would not have been on this ride. However, Ben is a very resilient child, and, though he did clutch his teddy bear, Popcorn, very tightly in a few parts, he seemed to enjoy the ride overall, especially when he could see the dwarves and say "Dig-dig, Dig-dig!"
By now it was 10:45 and we decided to check out the wait for Peter Pan. We had to ride Peter Pan's Flight today as it was my brother's birthday, and Peter Pan's Flight was his favorite ride growing up, and since he couldn't be with us in person, this was the best way I could figure to honor him on his birthday. The line was long enough that we decided to get Fast Passes, our first experience with Fast Pass. I sent Chris to find the dispensing machines, and he returned with passes with a return time of 11:25-12:25, which gave us a bit of time to explore before our ride time.
We did what seemed most natural, and walked across the street to it's a small world. This was my favorite ride as a child (well, not on my first visit when I was 3 ½ weeks old, but on my next visit when I was 4), so it holds great memories for me. I was, of course, hoping that Ben would enjoy it as well. Very unusual for us was not feeling the cooling relief of the it's a small world queue as a respite from the summer heat, which we are used to on our visits. Because the temperature was so mild outside, there was very little temperature difference as we approached the boats. Ben seemed to enjoy the ride, but he didn't have any comments on this ride, just wide eyes.
The Haircut
It was shortly after 11:00, and we decided that we had time before our Peter Pan ride to accomplish our main goal of coming into the Magic Kingdom today…Ben's first haircut. Back to Main Street, with its atmosphere of wonder. We found the barber shop in its new location, and were surprised to find a bit of a wait. We soon learned that the two young men who were waiting specifically wanted their hair cut by the male barber, and since we had no preference, we actually only had to wait for the female barber, Maura, to finish with her current client before it was our turn.
We had decided before we left home that Chris would get a haircut first, so that Ben could get an idea of what it was all about by watching his daddy. In reality, though, Ben was not at all interested in watching his daddy get a haircut, instead wanting to pick up stray Mickey confetti on the floor, use his plastic keys to try to lock the open door to the barbershop, say "hi" to everyone who came in and left the shop, take the camera from me to take two pictures before I could get it back, eat Goldfish, and generally behave like the active toddler that he is.
When it was his turn, Maura put a special box on the barber chair so he would sit high enough for her to easily cut his hair. I put him on the chair, and he was a bit hesitant to let me let him go, until Maura appeared with Mickey Mouse stickers. She began sticking the stickers on various parts of Ben's body saying "Gotcha!" with each sticker. By about the twelfth sticker, Ben was saying "Gotcha!" right along with her. That's when she knew she had won him over, and fastened the smock around his neck.
Before she began cutting, she handed Ben a container of spill-proof bubbles, and as he played with those, she got to work. Within a few minutes, the bubbles had grown boring, but Maura produced a talking Buzz Lightyear that entertained him for a few minutes more. When that grew boring, Maura had a light-up, spinning Mickey Mouse, and when that grew boring, a light-up spinning Pooh. I was frantically snapping pictures, and one roll of film later, Ben had his first big boy haircut. He looked very cute, and was quite proud to wear his "First Haircut" Mickey Mouse ears. Maura also gave us a certificate with the date and her name on it, and a long strip of 100 Years of Magic stickers for Ben. She was wonderful, and deserved every penny of the big tip we gave her!
It was shortly before noon now, and time to go take advantage of our Fast Pass for Peter Pan's Flight. Ben rode in his stroller this time, and was looking pretty sleepy by the time we got to Fantasy land. When we got to the ride, we gave our pass to the CM [Cast Member] who allowed us to bypass most of the line, and were on board in less than 5 minutes. Our first experience with Fast Pass was officially a success. And Peter Pan's Flight was officially a success with Ben. He especially enjoyed the moment when we flew past the moon, as moon was one of his first words. Seeing the moon at home is exciting for Ben, seeing the moon in a flying clipper ship is even better!
A very sleepy boy
The time had come to end our morning at the park, as we had plans to meet friends at Fort Wilderness at 3:00, and we wanted to get checked in to the Animal Kingdom Lodge, and grab some lunch before then. Because Ben loves trains, we decided to head over to Toontown and ride the train back to Main Street. We put Ben in his stroller and started toward Toontown, but by the time we hit Ariel's Grotto, we looked in the stroller and Ben was fast asleep. Knowing that there would be many other chances to ride the train, we decided to walk out of the park so Ben would have a chance to nap.
And nap he did. To my amazement, the child who has been awoken from a nap at home by the flush of a toilet slept through the monorail ride and the tram ride back to the car, in spite of all of the announcements. (Ahh, the first time of hearing "Please stand clear of the doors.") He woke up in the car as we were approaching the Lodge.
Checking in
What can I say about the Animal Kingdom Lodge? From the first glimpse of the giant thatched roof I had a feeling I would like this place. We pulled our car up to the valet parking area. (Valet parking is a luxury we would never use at home, but with all of the toddler gear we were toting on this trip, it seemed worth the minor expense.) The valet, Rich, gave us the classic Disney service. He helped us unload our bags, prepared them to be stored until our room was ready, explained how valet parking works, and even asked us a few questions about Ben. Being a typical proud mom, I had to explain to Rich that the song Ben was singing was "Heigh-ho," his favorite from Snow White.
When we walked into the lobby, any trace of sadness I had about not staying at the Wilderness Lodge disappeared. It is evident that the same architect designed both Lodges, as the lobby here was definitely reminiscent of the lobby at our "home." I got in line to check in, and was quickly waited on. I was delighted and a bit surprised to learn that our room was ready, since it was only a bit past 1:00 p.m.
We went to our room, 4109, and began to settle in. I loved all of the rich, dark, carved wood in the room, and we had fun finding hidden mickeys in the wood and wallpaper. First order of business for me was to turn on the WDW channel…it had been over three years since I had gotten a "Tip for Today." It was like a cool drink of water to watch a few minutes of the shameless self-promotion. We unpacked just one of our bags, and realized it was time to head out again. It was nearing 2:00 and we wanted to get lunch before heading to Fort Wilderness.
Lunch was at the Mara. It is interesting that the restaurants are not on the same floor as the lobby in the Animal Kingdom Lodge, and I'm sure we would have been very confused if the woman who checked us in had not explained this. I wonder if it confuses people who just come to eat at Boma or Jiko. We were able to find our way rather quickly, and checked out the massive pool en route. Lunch was sugar cane chicken for Chris and I, chicken strips for Ben, and a side of grapes shared by all. The sugar cane chicken was without a doubt the best food court meal I had ever had at WDW. I knew I'd be enjoying it again on this trip.
We loved the chairs in this place. When I looked at them I expected them to be hard plastic, but really they were a flexible vinyl that gives when you sit down. Much more comfortable than I am able to put into words. Another nice thing about the Mara is the television in the indoor seating area which had various Disney movies running throughout our stay. Even a fast food meal can be difficult to enjoy with a toddler who doesn't want to hold still, and perhaps because I'm opposed to television while eating at home, Ben found it to be an unusual treat that kept him entertained during our meals at the Mara.
The Big Meeting
We had tickets for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party that evening, so we decide to drive to the TTC [Transportation and Ticket Center], park our car and take the bus to Fort Wilderness where we were to gather with some friends I had never before met.
How is that possible? For the past three and a half years, I had been exchanging e-mail almost daily with a group of six other women who love Disneyworld as much as I do. We call ourselves the Minnies. Over the years we have truly become good friends, as we have gone through the ups and downs in our lives together. An example of this, which I always tell people who think anyone you meet on the "Internet" must be "creepy," is that when I was pregnant with Ben, the Minnies gave me a long distance baby shower, complete with presents and e-cards and virtual flower bouquets.
Some of the Minnes had met one another because of living close to each other, or on previous WDW trips. Being secluded in the Midwest, I was the only one in the group to have not yet a Minnie. Well, the time had finally arrived as four other Minnies had WDW trips overlapping with mine. I was filled with anticipation and anxiety about meeting these dear friends, hoping that we would like one another as well in person as we do in e-mail.
The trip to Fort Wilderness was uneventful, and I found Fort Wilderness to be a beautiful, peaceful place. My family had camped here when I was very young, but since then I had only been back once for the Hoop De Doo Revue, and I couldn't see much because it was dark. I can see myself spending time here in the future, as a catharsis to the over stimulation of the parks.
I was supposed to meet some of my friends on the porch of the Trail's End Buffeteria, and we were going to check out a model monorail supposedly set up at a campsite. I could feel myself getting nervous as we approached the porch, but my nervousness quickly subsided as I realized I was the first to arrive. Ben was in no condition to sit still on the porch, having sat still all during lunch and during transit to Fort Wilderness, so he and Chris headed over to the playground, as I found a comfy rocker and relaxed.
Soon, I heard a voice saying, "Look for someone with a two-year old." I turned to my right and saw a woman approaching with a 12-year-old looking son, and I knew it must be Anne. "Are you Anne?" I asked. "And you must be Michelle" she said. A big hug and hello to her son Tom, and we headed over to the playground. I was happy to meet Anne first, because we have in common a great love of baseball, not to mention the fact that we are both in the process of rearing sons, so I knew we would not run out of things to talk about. We chatted at the playground, as the kids played, about what we had done so far on our trips, about past trips, about the Cardinals and the Red Sox. Tom and Ben had great fun playing on the slide made of rollers. Anne took Tom's picture sliding down, just as she had 10 years ago. Anne gave Ben a "Wally" the Red Sox mascot, and gave me a Red Sox pin. I was really enjoying just being with a Minnie in real life.
Before too long, we realized if we were going to see the monorail, and make it back in time to meet the rest of the Minnies for dinner, we'd better head to the bus stop. I was very glad that Anne remembered where in the campground the monorail man (whose name I think was Randy, another useful fact that Anne remembered) was located, especially as the bus ride gave me an appreciation for the size of Fort Wilderness. It really is beautiful there.
We got off at the appropriate stop and began walking around to loop. We talked and talked, and at times I was afraid that perhaps we had passed the monorail and I missed it for all of my chatting. Anne assured me that she was keeping an eye out, and indeed she was, because, just as we were determining that we were in the wrong area of the campground, she said with great gusto "There it is!" and we intruded on very cordial Randy's site. It was a neat setup. I had planned our visit to see it as a surprise for Chris, who is very interested in model railroading, and he enjoyed seeing it. I was impressed at the modifications Randy had made, and would have loved to have seen it after dark…maybe another year. Anne was explaining that we were friends of Jan Bordelon's, by way of introduction, when she happened to look at her watch and see that we were supposed to meet them in 5 MINUTES!!! A speedy good-bye and thank you, and we booked it back to the bus stop.
Ben was entertaining on the bus ride, swaying back and forth and saying "Who-a, who-a, who-a" as he always does on bumpy car rides. He also said "Dig-dig, dig-dig" when he saw the poster on the bus advertising the Snow White DVD, and beeping right along with the bus when the passenger in a wheelchair boarded. Soon we were at our stop, and headed back to Trail's End.
As we approached the building, I saw that the area that had been deserted when we left was now swarming with people who I presumed were waiting for the Hoop De Doo Revue. As we drew closer, Anne saw and recognized Laura who was circumnavigating the mass of people, apparently looking for us. (Laura and Anne live somewhat near one another and had met previously.) Anne called out to Laura, who ran over and joyfully hugged Anne.
Being a bit reserved around new people, I hung back a bit while they said their hellos, then approached. Laura greeted me as joyfully as she had Anne. As we all walked toward the restaurant together, I began to feel quite overwhelmed. I was taken aback at how emotional it was to finally meet and hug the people I felt so close to. It was certainly not like any feeling I had ever experienced, and I felt a little paralyzed socially. Happily, though, within a few minutes this feeling passed, and I was able to enjoy every moment with my Minnie friends.
When we reached the porch, I met Laura's daughter Renae and Jan and her husband Mike. More hugs all around. Within a few minutes, Charlotte and her husband John, brother Rusty and sister-in-law Gwen arrived. More hugs and happiness. Charlotte presented everyone in the group with pins and Anne presented us all with Minnie magnets. I will never forget how it felt to stand on the porch surrounded by so many people I had waited so long to meet.
Ben was busy chasing a peacock, and we decided it was time for a group picture. Renae kindly watched Ben while the Minnies posed for a photo. Renae and Tom were both so good with Ben. I think he enjoyed being around other young people.
Please wait… OUTSIDE
Now we were ready to eat, so we headed to the buffet. I'm not sure who gave the hostess our name and party size, but I heard her say rather pointedly "You may all wait outside." I guess we were being a bit boisterous for the tastes of the Trail's End. I'm sure we were a noisy bunch, with several different conversations going on between the various members at any given time. I was glad that we were on the front porch however, when a flock (?) of peacocks all together landed on the roof just a few feet away. Ben, too, found this fascinating.
Dinner was most enjoyable. The buffet was adequate, but the company was unbeatable. We all exchanged stories about our trip so far, and plans for the next few days, and Jan gave us lots of good tips for making the most of Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. I learned that most of the Minnies are fellow Diet Coke drinkers. By now, I was perfectly comfortable with this group of friends. I realized that they were all just as they seemed in our hundreds of exchanged e-mails: warm, caring, wonderful people.
After dinner we went our separate ways, agreeing to meet up at the boat dock to head to the Magic Kingdom. Chris had gone to change Ben's diaper, so I waited for him to return. Laura passed me on the way to collect Renae from her phone call to her boyfriend, and reminded us to wait for them. Just then, Chris returned and we headed to the boat dock. When we got there, we stopped toward the end of the dock to wait for Laura and Renae, only to realize that they had magically passed us along the way and were up ahead with the rest of the Minnies. We must have taken the crazy, inexperienced Fort Wilderness person's path to the boat dock.
When we boarded the boat, I took Ben out of his stroller to ride on my lap. He was very entertained on the way by Laura's pin which lit up in Christmas colors. This blinking wonder elicited many "Oh wow!"'s as we rode.
The first fit
When we reached the Magic Kingdom boat dock, we had what I guess is an inevitable moment for people traveling with toddlers. Total meltdown time! Ben absolutely refused to go back into his stroller. I wanted to be able to walk with the Minnies for at least a little while, though, and knew that Ben's pace would not allow that. I tried giving Ben his new friend Wally, no luck. Even Popcorn could not soothe the angry Ben. So, I decided that this tantrum would just have to be weathered, apologized to everyone around, and began walking. Luckily, by the time we reached security, Ben had settled down.
We all paused under the train depot since many of the people in our party wanted to get a locker, use the restroom, get a drink, etc. We found the brochures with the events of the evening and perused them as we waited for our party to reconvene. And then we walked into Town Square.
Another magical moment
Anyone who loves WDW as I do knows that on every trip, moments of magic happen when you least expect them, taking you by surprise, and bringing a wonderful feeling of happiness and calm. Well, walking into Town Square, seeing the Christmas decorations after dark, surrounded by friends, I had one of these moments. The Magic Kingdom, decorated for this party, is just breathtaking. In spite of my best attempts not to, I teared up a bit.
As we started down Main Street, the snow began. This, too, was magical. When I looked down into Ben's stroller to see what he thought of the snow, he was fast asleep. That explained the tantrum on the boat dock. I can't believe I didn't realize until that moment what a very long day that little fellow had had. Anyway, I hope that more people saw him sleeping like an angel, and smiled having their evening brightened a little, than saw him screaming at the boat dock and had a bit of their magic taken away.
Well, expert Jan knew exactly where to go to get our pictures taken with no line. So back to the Hall of Presidents we all went. On the way, tour guide Jan recommended the iced cappuccino floats at Sleepy Hollow as an enjoyable taste sensation. When we reached the Hall of Presidents, there was a line of people waiting for their pictures. I would have been content to wait in that line, but, fortunately for me, Jan the Experienced knew that we should keep going and check it's a small world. And Jan was exactly right! We were able to get our pictures taken with no wait at all. I felt really lucky to have Jan as a part of my party. We got a really cute picture of Ben sleeping in his stroller, with Chris and I sitting on either side of him.
Perhaps this is an appropriate time to say a word about the Minnies' families. These people were some of the most gracious people with whom I have ever come into contact. The only comparison I could think of for what they must be experiencing is when Chris and I socialize with his co-workers. It takes all of my strength to create the appearance of enjoying myself, and I probably fall short of actually projecting that image. But the Minnies' families seemed to truly have fun. I heard not one complaint or gripe from any of them the whole trip. Children, spouses and in-laws were all just as wonderful as their associated Minnies.
After we all had our pictures taken, we regrouped and went to see Cinderella's Coach. It was really beautiful. Some of the princesses were there meeting and greeting. After this we decided to go our separate ways until the fireworks. Ben was still asleep, so we considered trying to see a show while he would be stationary, but since it was only about 30 minutes until the parade, we staked out a place in Liberty Square and had a seat and waited. As we waited, Chris went and got cookies and hot chocolate for us. These were nothing to be too excited about, but the quest and the snacking helped pass the time until the parade began. We were afraid Ben would sleep through the parade, but in another instance of Disney magic, he woke just before the parade began, albeit in a bit of a cranky mood.
Ben was fidgety during the parade, switching between being held by me, being held by Chris, being on my shoulders, being on Chris's shoulders. The parade was a bit loud for him, too. He even put his fingers in his ears at one point. I, on the other hand, loved the parade, and although I tried to not accept his chivalrous offer, I am grateful to the man beside me who insisted that I stand in front of him for a better view, going as far as to physically pull me in front of him. It was this unobstructed view that made me use my son's catch phrase "Oh, wow!" upon seeing Santa towering over the crowd in the sleigh float finale.
After the parade, Ben needed some running around time. Before we left for WDW, I was worried that there would be a dearth of places that were open enough that he could run, but enclosed enough that he could not run away. I wanted him to be able to get the exercise every toddler needs, without having to worry about him running in to people, or trying to make an escape. I am delighted to say that we found abundant nooks that fit the bill. On this occasion, we simply went to an area that I guess must be the exit to the Hall of Presidents. This evening, it was deserted and away from crowds, and Ben had a great time running around being chased by his daddy. Ben had so much fun, in fact, that he did NOT want to go back into his stroller. We knew we were heading back to a crowded area, though, so we had to force the issue. Luckily, this time we did not have a meltdown, and soon we were waiting by the Liberty Bell, looking for signs of anyone we knew.
Pretty fireworks
Soon Jan and Mike arrived, and shortly after, Laura and Renae and Anne and Tom. It seems like Charlotte and her bunch were there as well, though there were quite a few people, as this was apparently a RADP [rec.arts.disney.parks newsgroup] meet, and I don't remember visiting with Charlotte much at this time. The person hosting the meet, Tracy, I believe, introduced herself to our family, as did a Deb, who I later realized was THE Deb Wills, whose website I use constantly when planning a trip, and whose wonderful newsletter gives me a happy weekly dose of WDW. By the time I realized who she was, though, she was engaged in other conversation (perhaps asking Tom about being the president of the Magic Kingdom?), and I had missed a chance to thank her for all of this.
When it was time for the fireworks to begin, Ben was asking to be let out of his stroller, and since we were in a fairly open, not terribly crowded area, we decided that would be fine. The fireworks began, and after Ben was hoisted onto Chris's shoulders, so he could see over the people who shuffled in front of him, he reacted mainly with by pointing and grunting (maybe he was still tired). When we believed the show had ended, we were lucky that a nice lady in front of us told us where to look to see Rudolph making the flight that typically belongs to Tinkerbell.
It was neat to see this, and I was pleased with the show, but Laura said to me, in a disappointed voice, "Is that all of the fireworks? Last year they were all around."¯ No sooner had she finished her sentence than the REAL fireworks show began. Fireworks were set off from locations all around the park. This time, Ben was much more excited, saying "Oh, oh, oh,"¯ and turning his head to look all around him as fast as he could, as his daddy held him. This was, without a doubt, the best fireworks display I've ever seen. When it was finished, Laura said "That's what I remember from last year."
After the fireworks, our group once again went our separate ways. We had planned to leave the park after the fireworks, but since Ben was wide awake and very cheerful now, we decided to ride the Jungle Cruise on the way out. The skipper noticed Ben's Mizzou Tigers t-shirt, but I didn't get a chance to ask if she was an alumna. Ben was beginning to show signs of sleepiness again, so he went back into his stroller willingly after the ride. I love the atmosphere of Tomorrowland after dark, so we decided to walk through that area of the park, just to enjoy the surroundings. After that, we walked slowly down Main Street, in the snow. Ben kept reaching up the whole way, trying to catch the snow on his fingertips. We paused at Town Square to look back at the holiday scene, and then left the park, so happy.
We took the monorail back to the TTC, and as we went through the Contemporary, Ben said at least a dozen "Oh wow!'s", mainly in response to their Christmas tree. As we were walking to the tram, Ben saw a Mickey head on a gate and said "Hi"¯ to it and blew it kisses as we passed. I guess it is possible that fanatic love of Mickey mouse is passed on genetically.
Late night wildlife viewing
Back at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, when we were ready to turn in for the evening, Ben was, of course, wide awake. We hadn't seen any of the savannas yet, so we decided to check out the Arusha Savanna. The landscaping was beautiful, the firepit was so inviting, and we saw some large birds sleeping. A cast member approached us and told us that the giraffes on the Sunset Savanna had just been fed. We thanked her for the information, and headed in that direction. We got a bit lost trying to find it, but luckily Chris has a good sense of location, and got us there. The giraffes were indeed feeding, as were several eland. They were beautiful animals, and it was breathtaking to be so near them in such a peaceful, quiet setting.
In our room we finished unpacking, and went to sleep around midnight, with that wonderful, satisfied feeling that follows a superb day.