After a fun filled day one we were ready to hit some other parks on day 2. We headed out to be at the Animal Kingdom when they opened. I think we wore Pappy out on the first day because he was totally over Disney and stayed at the motorhome. Hannah Claire on the other hand was fired up and ready to go. We had to wait for the park to open once we arrived but when it did we on the go. Daddy wanted to ride Expedition Everest so we headed over there first. Our last trip to Disney he didn't get to ride because even the fast pass line was ridiculously long. I'm pretty sure he ran over to get on as quick as possible. Most everyone that was there was heading for the same spot. When we got there to watch Hannah Claire was amazed. Of course the little dare devil says, "I wanna ride that!". I think she would have in a heartbeat 1) if I would have let her (no way!!!) and 2) if she was tall enough. This is her watching it come down the drop-off.
Daddy came off and LOVED it! He even convinced Nana to go for a spin with him. They are the two red shirt beside each other about 3 or 4 from the back. They both loved it and I foresee another rider next trip. You can always count on Mom for taking some pictures.
Our handy dandy Disney book suggested that we head to the other side of the park for the character trails when they opened. We quickly headed over since we had seen the day before how long the lines could get to see Micky & Minnie. When we arrived there were four characters there to meet & greet, Micky, Minnie, Goofy and Donald. Donald was the shortest line and the first one we got to. Nana, Daddy & HC got to meet him while Mommy went to save a spot in Minnie's line before it got too long. HC was excited to see Donald but she was a little skeptical.
Of course she was giddy to see Minnie again. When we got up there this kid went straight in for taste of Minnie's nose. I'm not real sure why but she did. She even got in trouble for grabbing Minnie's ears. I guess mouse ears are sensitive.
Dad had saved a spot in Mickey's line while were at Minnie's trail. I am still shocked at how excited Hannah Claire was to see Mickey. I am also fascinated by her obsession with their noses.
Since HC was still adamant about not seeing Goofy we loaded up in the stroller to head to a different part of the park. All of a sudden it was like she realized she was about to miss her chance and she said, "I wanna see Goofy". Of course we thought she just wanted out of the stroller but we got her out and headed over to the line that was only a few people deep. Much to our amazement she really did want to see him. I had to stay with her but she high-fived him and even smiled for pictures. We are so proud of her for overcoming her fear (that was very strong up until that point).
As we headed out to the other parts of the park we passed the Lion King show. It was about to start and they had room so we went on in. I didn't really think HC would be interested an I was sorta afraid it would scare her so we hadn't even planned on going. We got in our seats and the show started up. She LOVED it! Sadly they had technical difficulties and we didn't get to see the whole show. We did see the monkeys doing their trapeze act which was so cool! (On a side note, HC still talks about seeing the lion at the castle when we read Daniel & the Lion's Den.)
After the show got called off we went and caught the train to see all of the animal's sleeping quarters. When we arrived at the walking trail we found these cool elephants. Our little RTR girl by her elephants.
Once we reached the end of the trail we found the conservatory. When we went in we found Pocahontas. HC was excited to see her but Rafiki was just to their left so she was freaked out. I can't say I blame her. He is really scary looking.
The safari ride was up next. I sat this one out because it was not recommended for pregnant women. They had a great time seeing giraffes, lions, an elephant and all sorts of other cool animals.
Hannah Claire was getting sleepy and lunch time was quickly approaching so we headed for the exit. One tired little girl didn't even make it back to the entrance before she was out!
We went back to the campground and ate some lunch and let HC finish up her nap. Momma needed some rest too. After some r&r we headed over to Hollywood Studios. We had to check out Mickey Mouse's Clubhouse. When we arrived we informed by the trolley guy (who happened to be from Mobile) that the Magic Kingdom was full and guests were being redirected to other parks. I'm so thankful we did it the first day! Once we entered the park there was parade coming down the street. Wow, there were people everywhere! We were able to navigate around it and get over to the clubhouse. The show had just started and we thought we were not going to get in. A sweet worker took us in a back way so we could still see the show. HC was fired up to see the show. It included all of the cast from Mickey's Clubhouse, Winnie the Pooh, The Little Einsteins and Handy Manny. Wow what fun for a kid! She didn't hesitate to get up and dance along with them.
When we came out we got to meet Handy Manny. HC doesn't exactly love him but she wanted to meet him. We waited in line and she was serious. This little flirt even gave him a kiss on the cheek. I thought she may like his show when we got home but she still doesn't really care for it. Go figure.
We made it over to catch the stage performance of Beauty and the Beast. HC was so excited because Belle is one of her favorites. I was a little concerned about her response to the beast. She really hadn't been exposed to him before that. She was all smiles while we were waiting. though.
Since we were cramming Disney into two days we decided that we had done all of the things of interest to HC there and we should head over to Epcot for the Nemo ride and the big fireworks show. After all our kid is somewhat of a pyromaniac and it was New Year's Eve. Plus the first show was at 8 pm which was totally doable for a two year old. We caught the ferry boat over. Since there was no Disney provided entertainment on the ferry, HC decided she could provide it.
We finally arrived at Epcot and wow. I really don't have nice things to say about all of the grown adults that were blowing their abnoxious New Years Eve horns constantly. I mean seriously!!! Screaming kids are not as annoying as those things were. Plus there were sooo many people you could barely move. We finally made our way over to Nemo.
Once we hit Nemo, we had accomplished all of the rides/attractions we had set out to do except the firework show. Dad went to get in line to get us some food while HC and I stood in line for the potty. Guess what, we waited in line for the potty longer than for any ride we did. It was ridiculous! When we finally got out we found Daddy and the food on our table. It may be gross but deparate times call for deparate measures and when you have a 2 year old trying to eat with hundreds of thousands of people you do what you have to do. Plus we had a great spot for fireworks after dinner. (Yep, that is a trash can.)
HC loved the fireworks for a little while but we were super close and they were so loud. She was ready by the time they were over.
Since we came in the back of Epcot we headed out the front to get a picture in front of the big ball. I wish we could have gotten a daylight picture but we took what we could get. We also hit the store because we had no ears for HC yet. She picked out the ones she wanted and loved them!
Two days at Disney is not much but we were able to hit four parks and do everything we wanted to while there (at the busiest time of the year). Plus we found out Hannah Claire is quite the little traveler and she likes to make the most of her time. I always said I would never take a young kid to Disney but I am so glad we did. HC may not remember it but we have tons of pictures and we will treasure these memories forever. Not many people get to see their Mom and their daughter see the castle for the first time. What a blessing!
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