Disney the Lucy Way

Lucy likes the relaxed approach to Disney World.

She adores the shows and the laid back rides.

Here we are waiting to get into her VERY favorite from 2  years ago....Mickey's PhilharMagic.  It really is a neat show, full of sensory surprises.

She also would like me to inform everyone, that if they enjoy this show, she also endorses Monsters Inc Laugh Floor & she really likes the Carousel of Progress (which I believe Walt Disney created for the New York World's Fair).  She's always into the educational things....such a problem child ;)

As we walked from one attraction to another, she tended to walk beside Papa and talk and talk and talk...don't think he minded that too much :)

She also really loves very relaxing rides....like the people mover.  The people mover is exactly what its name implies....it just moves people around tomorrowland...to get them out of the way???  Anyway, it's a medium-slow moving blue cart-train that moves you all around the place up above peoples heads creating a nice cool breeze. It's never crowded, since it's not really a main attraction, and Lucy learned that if you twirl your finger at a cast member, they will not make you get off and you can ride it again and again....

and again.  (she rode it 6 times)

but she can act a little crazy, if she wants to ;)

Two years ago, she was just dying to meet all the characters.  This year, the only one she REALLY wanted to see was Ariel...mainly because Lucy herself was in a mermaid costume.  The Ariel this year was really sweet.

And just for comparison...here's Lu and Ariel 2 years ago....

One of her two favorite rides at Animal Kingdom was the Safari...

Her other favorite, there, is the Kali River Rapids and she could ride it again and again....

Of course she enjoyed the Lion King show there cause she's just a show kinda girl...

At Epcot she has 2 favorite things....the Imagination Lab

And the World Showcase...this is where they have shops and restaurants that represent different countries from around the world.

Here she is at the United Kingdom...(she loved the shrubbery mazes)

Canada...

Morocco ....

Maybe part of the reason she likes shows is so she can rest while we wait?  Here she gets a nap on Daddy.   I think we all kind of appreciated this break.

When we went back to Magic Kingdom, she was determined to get to visit Tom Sawyer's Island.  You take a ferry over there, explore the island on foot, then ferry back....she REALLY enjoyed this.

The big surprise, though was that this year,  she tried two new more adventurous kind of rides.  Splash Mountain (which I didn't get a picture of) and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, HER FIRST ROLLER COASTER.  We were so proud.  She hopped in line, but got more and more nervous.  She almost backed out, but she made it!  She rode first with Daddy and LOVED it!

Here she is with Sherry..

Thunder Mountain is now her favorite ride!  Here's my girl in front of her first coaster!

We heard her say at one point, "It's so hard not to smile here!"

The Disney Dozen (Part 2)

It's still day 3.  The girls and I found some shade in the animal Kingdom in which to eat some ice cream :)

We went to Africa (Animal Kingdom) when one of the street performers enlisted Ashley and Aliyah to dance in front of everybody....

Our group of rollercoaster riders (minus Sherry)  LOVED Expedition Everest!!!

Here's Ash going up the fist hill....

here's the "broken track" that they freak everyone out with before making the coaster go backwards into a dark cave.  Ashley screamed again....so cute!

Here's Aliyah screaming!

Notice how tiny the people look from the top...

Here we are in front of the tree of life....so cool.

Stephen and I went on a date that night to Epcot...

I'm going to stop and tell you about trading pins.  We discovered these little gems two years ago.  You start out  by buying some Disney trading pins....there are just hundreds to choose from.  Some are expensive and some are even more expensive....or you can buy them cheap on ebay ;)  

After you purchase your pins, you can walk up to any Disney cast member (that's what all their employees are called) who has pins and they have to trade any pin you want of theirs, for any pin of yours you want to give them.  This becomes VERY addictive.  Very smart way to nickel and dime tourists to death.  We of course embraced this practice w/ fervor.  Even the very unsuspecting can get sucked in.

Here you see Lucy trading pins...

Here she and Papa are picking out pins from one of the park's trading "books"...

Here's and unsuspecting tourist pinning on his first pins on his first day at Disney....

Here's what became of him, note the fully decked out lanyard.....

And this picture is just cute of the tourist and his wife....

The next day we ALL went to Epcot...

We were able to get some half way decent pictures on the Journey into Imagination ride....

Sherry and I got our picture w/ Mickey :)

Nena and Papa with 3 happy kids on day 5 at Hollywood Studios.

The End.

The Disney Dozen (Part 1)

 A warning for those of you starting this entry; if you don't just adore our family, this entry is going to be very LOOOOOONNNNG.   Okay!  Here we go....

These two lovely people (we call them Nena and Papa) .....

....took 10 of us (PLUS themselves) to Disney World!  It was a very HAPPY week :D

well..this pic contains everyone EXCEPT myself, Nena and Papa,  in the Magic Kingdom in front of the Cinderella Castle.

 from left to right...Clyde, Ashley, Aliyah, Stephen, Lucy, Iris, David, Sherry & Shaun (sadly my niece, Erica did not get to come.)

We went during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween, that's why my kids are dressed up.

One of the favorite rides for our group as a whole was Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin...

Unfortunately you're not allowed to take pictures or video of this next group fave. (we did this 3 times..maybe 5 times two years ago)  This is a picture of us waiting to walk into a show called the Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor.

It is GREAT!!  Everybody laughs and they put people from the audience onto the screen and either interact with them, put a funny one-liner under their face or make them part of the story.  We had 5 people in our party on the screen!!!  It was so cool.  Lucy's and Papa's faces were put up with a joke about them underneath.  They did a whole interview sequence with Sherry, then when they were done talking with her, they showed Clyde sitting next to her and said "How on Earth could you concentrate with a ninja beside you?" (he was in his ninja costume)  Iris was "Boo" twice!

We took a more leisurely day on day 2 and went to downtown Disney.  It's not a park with rides.  Here, you shop, eat and trade pins, but you don't have to pay to get in.

Lunch at Rainforest Cafe...

Everyday, Papa wanted us to be there BEFORE :)  the park opened.  So here we are, day 3, waiting for Animal Kingdom to open.  Love this picture...

The Safari was another crowd pleaser that our whole group enjoyed.  Ashley screamed when the "rickety" bridge started "falling"....it was VERY funny!

David, Sherry & I in Asia (Animal Kingdom)

Papa with 4 of his younger grandkids...they thought this was great, because he can talk like Donald Duck.

My 3 w/ Chip & Dale...

Here's a comparison shot from 2 YEARS AGO! w/ Meeko (from Pocahontas)...

We all LOVED Kali River Rapids!  We rode it a few times.  I had so many good shots and weeded for awhile, so just be tolerant of the fact that I put 5 pictures of this ride on here :)

More to come!