good stuff: Disneyworld (1/3)

Alrighty! It’s time for the long anticipated Disneyworld posts! At the end of May, we were so fortunate to tag along as ‘chaperones’ on an eight day Disneyworld trip through Roane County High School (where Pappaw teaches building trades). Thank you Misty and Jason for inviting us! We had such a good time…I can’t even describe it! But I will try anyway…

One of the really fun highlights for us was a special dessert reception at Fantasmic (the nighttime show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios), reserved specifically for groups. While thousands of others waited in a grueling line, we made our way behind the scenes to a special ‘deck’ above all the regular seating. There, we were served all the cookies, brownies, ice cream, punch, etc. that you could eat! We then were able to watch the show from this private viewing area, while continuing to stuff ourselves!! It was so great!

We also visited the Disney Water Parks for the first time. We don’t have any pics from those days, but we had an absolute blast! We will definitely be visiting again…particularly Typhoon Lagoon. There Jon, Dad (Pappaw), and I swam with sharks (no, I’m not kidding), and rode the world’s first uphill water coaster…Crush n’ Gusher! That thing was awesome! Caroline loved the huge kiddie area, and there was plenty of shade for her and Mimi in the calm waters! Then, of course, Jon wanted to ride the huge wave that comes every 90 seconds in one of the biggest wave pools in the world. When it comes, you hear this huge thud and then a rush of water, closely followed by loud screaming from everyone in the enormous pool! It was a sight to see. Jon said he had never seen a wave that big, even in San Diego…they even teach surfing lessons there in the mornings before the park opens.

We also had some of the best service ever in WDW. Cast members (that’s what they call all their employees, even the guys who take out the trash) were everywhere asking us if we needed help, and creating special experiences. Mom and Dad had their 36th anniversary while on this trip...they had buttons that said so. We had cast members from near and far yelling ‘Happy Anniversary’ every few seconds! Ok, ok, enough of my Disney fanatic ramblings!!!

So here are Pappaw and Caroline waiting for our flight at the Knoxville Airport. People actually came up and gave a donation at this bear (for Friends of the Smokies) because Caroline was so cute standing next to it. I’m not even kidding you!

The Magic Kingdom

Her first Disneyworld ride...What else, but “The Happiest Cruise that Ever Sailed” - It’s A Small World

Meeting the Princesses was so cool. Caroline’s instant favorite was “Shoopie”, a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty. She let her draw a picture of King Stephan’s castle with her special quill.