The long awaited September 2011 trip report begins!
Day 1, 9-21-11
We're home!! :) |
On September 21, 2011, me, my mom (KK) and my son (C-man) woke up before the sun and left my parent's lake house at 3:00am CST. We started our drive from Alabama to Walt Disney World. My hope was that C-man would go back to sleep at least until the sun "woke up." No such luck! He was "too excited" and was awake from 3:00-5:30. He finally slept for an hour and was back awake in Macon, GA when we stopped for breakfast. We continued our drive south and finally arrived at WDW at 1:15 EST. It took 9 hours and 15 minutes. Not to bad. The only bad thing was the "check engine" light came on around the Georgia/ Florida state line...
We knew our room at Pop Century wouldn't be ready so we stopped to eat a quick lunch at McDonald's by the All Star Resorts. When we walked in, Silly Symphony cartoons were playing on the TVs, so C-man knew we were at "Dinny World!" He was again "too excited" to eat. Between watching Lambert the Sheepish Lion and eating a few fries, I managed to get 2 chicken nuggets in him!

Once KK returned to Pop, we were ready to blaze a trail! We walked to the bus stop and headed to the Magic Kingdom. I always try my best to start off at this park. There's just something magical about walking under the train tracks and seeing Main Street and Cinderella's Castle.
We arrived around 4:00 to the Magic Kingdom and I started checking things off my list!
- Get "family reunion" buttons at Guest Relations
- Take photos of the Halloween decorations on Main Street
- Meet any characters that are out and about
- Soak in the atmosphere
- Talk to cast members
- View the flag retreat ceremony

We were able to accomplish all of these things in the first hour and a half of our time at MK! We met a great cast member (the one who gave us our buttons) who was from South Carolina. He talked about the SC/ Auburn football game and how hospitable Auburn folks were, since he was "good friends" with Cocky the Gamecock! That made our day! :) C-man got over his fear of characters which was a Magical Moment for me! I wrote about this yesterday for Disney Blue Fairy Shares blog. Make sure you check it out. While KK and C-man were strolling around, I had a chance to use my minimal photography skills and capture a bit of the Halloween magic. I loved seeing all the fall colors and decorations on Main Street. The pumpkin characters in the Town Square at the entrance to Main Street USA were my favorite!
Flag Retreat at MK |
Move it! Shake it! Celebrate it! |
Trail's End buffet |
I'm with you, there is nothing like walking under those tracks and arriving on Main Street USA. I just turn into a little kid. The magic gets me every time.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great first day to me! I will have to remember to get out family reunion buttons for our next trip!
ReplyDeleteLove the photo of c-man with the pumpkins! Can't wait to hear more - it's getting me jazzed for next month.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great first day. I love starting at the Magic Kingdom too - though we don't always start there :)
ReplyDelete