We flew to Orlando on December 27th. We stayed in a hotel just outside the theme parks. We spent the first day at Epcot Center. Melissa spent the whole time complaining about how boring it was. Easily influenced be her, I agreed, even though I was enjoying it. We went through some of the rides there, but not many. We didn't return to Epcot.
The next two days we spent at Magic Kingdom. Allison and I had autograph books for the different characters we saw to sign. I got signatures from Mickey, Minnie, Captain Hook, and Kermit the Frog, among others. When I asked my mom what she most remembered of this trip, she said, "I remember that we enjoyed a lot of time as a family. I really enjoyed seeing you and Allison get all the autographs from the Disney characters." Allison lost a tooth while we there and the Tooth Fairy signed her book.
On December 29th, our second night, we had dinner at a Polynesian show. The dancers did hula dances and there was one man who twirled a lighted stick. We were served traditional Polynesian food, which Allison and I did not enjoy. We got grilled cheese instead. Mom and Dad were not pleased.
That night we went to the Spectro Magic parade at the Magic Kingdom. It was an evening show and everything was illuminated with lights. We saw people saving places on the curb several hours before the parade was due to start. My parents thought maybe we should get seats, too. So they sat on the edge of the curb while my sisters and I did things along Main Street. Our spot was right across from the Penny Arcade, so we played games in there. It also had a pressed penny machine. I got one of each design, marking the start of my pressed penny addiction. :-)
The parade itself was awesome! The characters walked down the street and Peter Pan stopped and shook Allison's hand. My parents said the look on her face at that moment made the two-hour wait worth it.
We went to MGM Studios the next day, where we saw another parade. This one was the "Surprise Family of the Day." The family was from ABC's Dinosaurs, which Allison and I really loved. We were really excited to see them. We also saw a stage show production of Beauty and the Beast, Disney's latest movie. We went through the set of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, which was awesome. We got to sit in giant Cheerios and saw how they did the flying bee scene. New Year's Day at MGM Studios included a trip to the Muppet Studio. We saw the Muppets Live as well as a 3-D Muppet movie.
Our trip to Disney World is one of my favorite childhood memories. It's the only time I've ever been there and I'm really hoping to go back someday.
