Disney Day 1 {Animal Kingdom Lodge and Magic Kingdom}

"Let the Memories Begin"

 We just returned home from the most fun week of my life (well, tied with my honeymoon). We just returned home from a week of Disney World and it was pure fun! Michael, Damian and I started off Sunday the 9th at 5am. When I went to get Damian out of bed he was the happiest kid in the world. He said, “Mommy, you mean it is really time to go to Disney World?!”


Our drive down was uneventful except for the awful rain. It poured most of the way down. Even though the weather report called for rain the first few days I had a feeling not to worry. Damian was sooo excited the entire ride. He would constantly say, “We’re going to Disney World, We’re going to Disney World!” Seeing him so excited made the ride much more fun.

Once we were close enough to see the welcome sign his eyes lit up, the rain stopped, the clouds parted and blue skies emerged. The excitement could be seen all over his face. We went through security at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and his eyes were as big as they could get. When we got out of the car we were immediately greeted by a woman waiting on us. She greeted us by name and took us to the counter to check in. The Animal Kingdom Lodge is absolutely spectacular. The lobby is huge and has so many details it was hard to take it all in at once. There were fountains, fire pits, intricate carvings, beautiful furniture and huge chandeliers that made us feel like we were in Africa.

Once we found our room we were excited that they had upgraded us for free. I paid for the standard room, but we were given a Savannah view. We only stayed in the room long enough to throw our things in and headed to explore the resort. Our excitement got the best of us and we headed straight to the Magic Kingdom after about ten minutes of looking around.

One thing I love is the bus system. They drop you off at the gate and it is so easy. Whenever finances permit we will definitely be staying on property (I’m about to book next year’s trip!) It was awesome being dropped at the front gates of Magic Kingdom.

When we walked in Damian didn’t know what to think. We were all a little overwhelmed, but quickly started having a blast. We hit Tomorrowland first and did the Lilo activity. I must say I think it is the dumbest thing in the park. I thought we were in trouble if that what were what the entire park was like. We grabbed fast passes for Buzz and went to the Laugh Factory. We all really enjoyed it. Damian laughed the entire time.

After we left the Laugh Factory we headed to the place that changed Damian’s life forever… the Buzz Lightyear ride. To say he loved it would not do his love for that ride justice. When he walked in and saw Buzz he about lost it. I have never seen him smile like that. He took his job of saving the planet from Zurg very seriously. He would try so hard to do a good job and as soon as he was done he would tell us he saved the entire planet. He told us that all 150 times we got off the ride.

The first night the park was empty. We headed to Fantasyland and rode everything without waiting in line. He really enjoyed It’s A Small World and fell in love with Winnie the Pooh, which worked out great for our reservations that night.

For dinner we had reservations at The Crystal Palace. He met a little girl next to our table and they would have left together and wouldn’t have noticed they left their parents behind. They laughed and giggled the entire time. They talked about the rides they had been on and what they wanted to go to next. She told him about the princesses and he told her about Buzz, Woody, Jesse and Lightning McQueen. At that point we had been awake 14.5 hours and were starving. We had barely eaten all day. Michael and I about knocked people down to get to the buffet! j/k, kind of! We were on the Disney Deluxe Dining Plan so we didn’t have to pay out of pocket. The food was good, but is waaaay overpriced.

The best part of the meal was the characters. Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger were there and Damian LOVED it. He would get so excited when he would see them and gave each of them the biggest hugs. I think the character meals are the greatest things there. I would much rather have meals with them than have to wait in line at the park. (Our next trip we are skipping all overpriced fine restaurants and only doing character meals, except for California Grill, the view is an experience in itself)

We were planning on going back to the hotel after dinner, but when we walked out of the Crystal Palace Wishes was going on so we stopped to watch. Within about two minutes we all decided we were not ready to stop. We rode every single ride in the park multiple times except for Space Mountain (he isn’t 44 inches) We literally went all the way around the park twice riding everything. It was amazing! Damian loved Big Thunder Mountain Railroad until he got squished and loved Splash Mountain until every single person in our boat turned around to ask him about the huge drop and made a big deal out of it. Up until that point the big drop had been fun. It was absolutely amazing how empty the park was. We didn’t wait in line for anything. It was unreal. All three of us were having the time of our lives.

About midnight we decided to go back to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We left having already been on every ride we came to ride. It was a nice feeling knowing we had experienced everything and we still had five more days at Magic Kingdom. The minute we got on the bus Damian was out. He was exhausted. We gave him a shower and he barely budged. He was so happy to get in the top bunk. He though it was the coolest thing. We all went to sleep and got ready to do it all over again the next day. Day 1 was amazing, but it was only the beginning. I must say I’m hooked. A yearly trip to Disney is a definite for our family. I have made a deal with the kids that their birthday gift every year will be a weekly trip t Disney. Damian thought it was the best idea ever. We had the most fun week of our lives. Day 2’s adventures (the day of food, Le Cellier and Jiko and Mickey’s Not so Scary Halloween Party) coming soon!

D and Daddy waiting for dinner at The Crystal Palace.  I thought we were going to starve to death we were so hungry!



Damian and Tigger. 



D as soon as we got in the park headed towards Tomorrowland.

Wishes in the background

See the smile on his face?  That stayed all week long!

Surprisingly, Winnie the Pooh was his least favorite of the night.

Damian and his friend.  They were having a serious discussion about vvery important things like princesses and Buzz Lightyear.

The look on his face is the reason we will be returning next year (and the year after that and the year after that!)