We got back last night from an EPIC trip. Stayed at the Ft Wilderness cabins, had Kermit for a while, and spent the week utilizing as much a/c as possible, as well as spreading some pixie dust.
This one takes my heart though…I shared this story in one of my FB disney groups, and I wanted to share it here. I’m not sharing for any reason other than to hopefully inspire y’all to spread some kindness…there’s a new crop of Disney College Program kids on the ground this week…and I know some of their roles aren’t easy!
So, Photo first:
So this photo has a story.
Tonight I had arranged for fireworks viewing for 8 guests. EVERYONE ended up bailing on me due to the weather (and they saw it two nights ago).
Well? I was NOT GOING TO BAIL. Umbrella up and watch on!
When I was wandering the Magic Kingdom I stopped to take a Castle Photo with a parasol (I’m insane. I know!), and these 5 young men were like “woah, we need to get one and take photos with that!”. So, as I was really just wandering until dinner I offered for them to take photos with it. Oh my, they were HILARIOUS!! Then we all got to chatting and shared some stories before we parted ways.
As I walked away I realized I should have invited them to fireworks, because I had a reservation for 8 and I was only 1. Why not spread some magic right?
Except they were long gone.
And then I turned the corner in Liberty Square and there they were! They ran up to me and greeted me again, and then one commented that it was totally random, but they were homesick and I reminded them of their mom. I told them I was so happy to find them, as I wanted to invite them to fireworks in the VIP viewing area. It was like Christmas! Their faces lit up and they were worried about their attire. (All raised in the south!!) I assured them it was fine and arranged to meet them.
Well fireworks were delayed a bit, and so we chatted. I truly enjoy chatting with young people the 16-23 range, I find it fascinating all their plans and different goals! Such a diverse group of young men here for the college program, very well mannered and with excellent dreams and goals!!
Fireworks viewing turned into taking them to meet princesses (one had never met a princess!!), followed by me using some fastpasses I had left (we leave tomorrow and I’m done with rides!) to take them on Seven Dwarves Mine Train, then we closed the park down by being the last log (or maybe next to last) on splash mountain.
It was so fun to be able to share some Disney magic AND trivia with them. I have all their names and locations, with strict instructions to come say hello when I’m back next month.
This is Disney. This is why my family comes here and why I will always vacation here. And honestly, it was beyond magical for ME to bless these young men! I told them they now have a magical story, and it’s their turn to go out and make magical moments so they have more magical stories to tell!
The purple parasol of epicness:
I also had a blue parasol and spent my last morning looking for JUST the right little girl to give the parasols too. I found one with a first visit button who was with grandparents and passed her my blue one (the grandmother was convinced I was some sort of secret cast member. LOL). I ended up keeping the purple one, because the more I thought about it, the more I realized that purple parasol has an epic story attached to it…and I feel it’s time with me in making some magical moments might not be over yet. (I’ll be back Sept 17-20)
We also had the privilege to dine chefs table at Victoria & Albert’s. Oh. My. Goodness! Photos:
Attire:
Menu (mine was tailored to my allergies…no fish, shellfish, caviar or mushrooms)
Food in order:
We sat down at 5:30pm, and were there until 11:15pm. It was AMAZING. I regret we didn’t get a photo with Chef Aimee, but I already have reservations for February, and I have confirmed she is there that night. We had some extra dishes and a few things I didn’t take photos of. I also brought her a small treasure, and we chatted about food experiences in some of our favorite places! I can’t wait to go back and do this again! (Honestly am tempted to see if we can get it in Oct as well. It was THAT GOOD)
Saturday I had a VIP Tour booked and as we were a party of 6, I found 4 others to fill it up. 3 were liners from Italy, and one was a local friend of mine who got to fulfill two bucket list items! 4 parks in one day, AND a private tour!
I also got to attend a wedding while there, and of course my purple parasol made an appearance:
All in all, a magical trip, and this Photo is my FAVORITE:
My only regret was my 19-yr old was being a complete jerk and I didn’t get a chance to get a Castle Photo with him. Honestly it’s a miracle we survived the trip without me absoloutly losing it on him. My 16-yr old was a treasure and spent Friday all alone because his older brother refused to get out of bed. Lesson learned…never take ungrateful humans on vacation! Oh well. Hopefully he grows up and one day will appreciate the magic of Disney and cherish the memories that can be made.
Oh and to the liner who told me about TSA cares? THANK YOU. Saved my life last night at MCO. Wonderful wonderful service. Will always use at MCO from now on. Don’t hesitate to use it, they WANT you to use it. I felt kind of bad for skipping the line the way we did, but it meant I didn’t get dizzy or almost pass out or pop a joint out from standing in a crowd of many many people. Getting home and not being stressed was the ultimate magical end to a truly WONDERFUL trip.
Back in 34 days!
