The adventures continue and, yes, I have turned into one of those parents who cannot stop showing you photos. On Day 2 we hit Epcot. Max still wasn't into the rides. Not the adorable The Seas With Nemo & Friends ride, not even the Test Track car ride, though he did like checking out the GM cars on display.
Sabrina test-drove this one.
Both kids enjoyed the nearby "car wash." Sabrina decided to take a quick shower in the mist.
We roamed around the World Showcase, where Max fell for a purple dragon puppet in China and the kids downed pasta and gelato in Italy. Dave found a big old turkey leg to gnaw on, so he was content too. Great mystery of life #7329: Why do men like to gnaw on gigantic turkey legs?
Alice was lovely.
Jasmine, too. This time around, Max did not try to impress any of the ladies by blowing his nose.
There was a gorgeous Flower & Garden Festival happening, with amazing displays like this.
Next, we took a bus we over to the Animal Kingdom Park, where we all thoroughly enjoyed the safari. We did it at 5 and it was nice and calm, with lots of animals roaming around.
Along the way, we were privileged to witness the rare and wondrous spectacle of...a lion taking a dump. I chose to not capture that moment on film, but here's the homeboy himself.
After, Max played the bongo drums as Dave sang a song about a lion making a doody, to commemorate the occasion. Even now, all Dave has to say is, "Lions make big doodies!" and Max cracks up.
The following day, we headed over to Hollywood Studios and went right to the Animation Courtyard. There's a fantastic indoor area here that's perfect for kids with sensory issues; it's quiet-ish and features a Digital Ink & Paint studio. You can color in characters on-screen, or even tape voiceovers for assorted Disney scenes, like from Snow White and The Seven Dwarves.
There were character meet-and-greets, too—the Incredibles, the crew from the movie Up, and Wizard Mickey Mouse. Generally, the lines were shorter than we'd seen elsewhere, another nice perk about this area.
Then we went on The Great Movie Ride, which takes you through decades of movies, complete with real actors and a loud shooting scene. Max wailed. Eeek. Baaaaaad Mommy and Daddy. Then we tried Toy Story Mania!, a superfun ride that involves putting on 3-D glasses and whizzing in a cart through a gallery of games where you shoot down moving targets. We knew Max was not going to be into it but we wanted to give it one more shot. Again, he wailed.
That was that for rides. We headed back to The Magic Kingdom and did more laps around Tomorrowland's Indy Speedway.
Sabrina's idea of a great snack: a pickle and an ice-pop. There were healthy snacks to be had, including pieces of fruit and bowls of fruit salad.
On our last day, we hung out at the hotel and enjoyed the pool and the water slide. Max would literally not let go of the purple Mickey Mouse balloon we'd bought for him. But one of the lifeguards asked if he could bring it to the front desk to hold for us, because if the balloon got loose and made its way to the savannas, an animal could feasibly choke on it. We totally spaced and left the balloon at the hotel. Baaaaaad Mommy and Daddy, redux.
So, that was our trip to Disney. I was a little disappointed that Max didn't like the rides, both because I wanted him to enjoy them and because I wanted to enjoy them with him. I've gotten better over the years about trying not to have preconceived ideas about how Max would enjoy an event or vacation. But big trips breed big expectations.
The truth is, most of the rides are too much for him at this point (I loved Felicia's idea yesterday about letting Max view rides on YouTube ahead of time before our next trip, to help prepare him). In the end, though, Max had a wonderful time hanging with the characters, driving his car, taking in all the sights and just being a kid. And I know he had a great time because Max literally cried when we pulled up to the driveway at home; he wanted to be back at Disney.
