Escape to Disney Part 2

Day 2 was met with an early start to the day. We grabbed Mickey Waffles for breakfast and

caught the bus for a quick ride to MGM. Our first stop was to Toy Story Land where we were met by Woody and a photo op. Directly behind him was an adorable Slinky Dog roller coaster. The attention to detail and bright colors welcomed you into Andy's bedroom, toy sized. I loved the way they incorporated toys into details like fences and signs. These thoughtful, creative touches made the experience immersive and believable throughout the area.

We headed to the Slinky Dog Coaster first. This would be Tyler's first roller coaster. As we made our way through the slow, hot line we were met with more toys, playful blueprints and cooling fans. We also brought along cooling towels to drape over us and plenty of water. It was another hot 100 degree day but, we were determined to make the best of it. After about a 50 min wait we were finally boarding. Tyler had cold feet but, took a deep breath and pushed through. I held on to his hand and encouraged him as we zoomed around the track, up gentle hills and winding around curves. This ride wasn't super fast however, for a first time coaster I wouldn't consider it a kiddie coaster for younger kids. Just as we thought the ride was coming to an end, we were surprised with a countdown and a race to the finish line. Although fun and playful, Tyler was

not thrilled at the end. When I asked him how he liked it he abruptly replied that he would never be doing that ride again. It was too fast but later changed his mind and asked to go again on our next trip. Michelle and I softened the disappointment with a Slinky Dog Toy waiting for him at the bottom of the exit. That turned his ship right

around. It was still early but the heat was relentless so we grabbed a Mickey ice cream pop to cool off on the way to the Alien Swirling Saucers. Buzz Lightyear stood boldly at the entrance and made for a great photo op. Once in line, we discovered lots of entertaining play

areas to keep the little riders happy and a strategically placed water fountain where we could wet down our towels. Right before we arrived at the entrance gates we saw a great spot to take a photo where the Slinky Dog Coaster goes soaring behind us. I timed a cute photo of Tyler with his Slinky Dog Toy just as the coaster passed by him. The Alien Saucer ride was more Tyler's speed. He could control the spinning and got a kick out of the cute Alien pulling us along in his spaceship. All three of us fit comfortably in the car which made the experience more fun.

On our way out we enjoyed taking in the fun buildings and characters roaming around including toy solders, Woody and Jesse. We decided not to wait in line for autographs given the heat and no shade. Luckily we had several opportunities in Disney Journey in plenty of shade. Tyler met Pluto, Doc McStuffen, Vampirina and Chip and Dale and Daisy Duck.

Afterwards, we were ready to escape the heat and headed back to the hotel pool. Port Orleans added a great splash park with buckets that dump unexpectedly, water cannons and slides. Tyler had a great time playing and cooling off.

Then ventured to the big sea monster slide, insisting I go down about 12 times with him and then we had a nice refreshing swim in the pool. After dinner, we decided to catch a river taxi to

Riverside to shop and watch the outdoor movie by the pool with hot cocoa and popcorn. On the walk back we enjoyed listening to the clomping of horse drawn carriages and taking in the views of plantation style hotels.

Our day ended with a bedtime story on Disney's version of Alexa in the hotel room and great night's sleep.

Day 3 was met with another early morning and a trip in to Magic Kingdom! Tyler was excited to see the castle and a walk along main street. Everything was decorated for fall which was a encouraging given the heat wave. We started in fantasy land with the playful Winnie the Pooh ride, Mad Hatter Tea Cups, Character Meet and Greet in the Big Top followed up by some yummy snack and the Laugh Factory. It was so fun watching Tyler enjoy all this for the first time. We had lunch at Casey's Corner and Mickey Sundaes from the Ice Cream Shop before taking a ride on the steam train, riding the carousal, traveling the world on It's a Small World and taking a trip through time with the carousal of progress. It was nice to pick and choose based on Tyler's interest and take a leisurely pace. Since Michelle and I had experienced everything so many times before it was nice to allow Tyler to take the lead and enjoy the moments with him. After a long day, we spent another evening in the pool and enjoyed a relaxing dinner. One of Tyler's favorite parts of the trip was collecting stuffies from each ride he went on. He had quite the collection to accompany him on the flight back to the beach.

Although this was a quick visit, we soaked in memories we will treasure for years to come. Tyler still talks about the experience and looks forward to his next trip down.