Thursday, August 22, 2013

Wanderlust : Disney World 2013 - Day 4

(Check out the recaps of days 12, 3, and 5 here.)


Disney used to be known majorly for Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, and Pluto.  Sure there were others but these were the "have-to-sees" when visiting the parks.  These days, anyone with a small child will tell you that while they are still important, the superstars are Jake, Izzy, Cubby, the Little Einsteins, Oso, Doc McStuffins, and Handy Manny.  They are the new IT crowd.  See, Disney got smart and started a 24-hour channel called Disney Junior.  It is directly specifically at preschool-aged children.  There is not one show that I would deem inappropriate or "too old" for Canon to watch.  And as far as he is concerned, Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates is the creme de la creme.  The pinnacle of coolness.  The one character that he wanted to meet at Disney.

Leave it to me to be completely unaware that you can actually have breakfast with Jake and other Disney Junior characters if you make a reservation.  Thank goodness Craig found out about this opportunity a week before we left.  Superdad saves the day!  

Let me set the scene:  we are making a five hour drive to visit my grandmother the weekend before our trip when Craig nonchalantly asks if I made reservations at Hollywood & Vine in Hollywood Studios for their Disney Junior character breakfast .  I look at him wide-eyed, head cocked to the side, and mouth twitching.  This is nothing new.  My face contorts randomly.  Don't make fun. In all of my extensive research for months on end prior to this moment, how did I not know about the Disney Junior character dining experience?!  The only reason our son wants to go to Disney is to meet Jake and the only way to do that is to have this dining experience!  What kind of a mother am I?  I may as well turn in my mom license and curl into a ball in the corner of my room.

So I did what any logical GOOD mother would do.  I set my alarm for the next morning to call Disney Dining as soon as they opened and prayed that they would have seating available during our trip.  Let me tell you something.  Prayer works people.  On day four of our trip, our son awoke the happiest kid on this planet because we were having breakfast with Jake.  Oh yeah, and the other characters too.  But JAKE!!!  I may have done a happy dance and screamed out loud when that reservation was made.  OK, I totally did.  My grandmother (and husband and son) thought I was nuts.  This is also normal. And probably true.


Canon even wore his pirate shirt to commemorate the Jake encounter.

Jake is so important we had to get a family picture.  Can you say obsession?  I knew you could.

For all of you non-Disney Junior watching folks, this is Handy Manny.

This is Special Agent Oso. 

And this is June from Little Einsteins.

From this moment forward, nothing else mattered on this trip.  Canon didn't care what we did or saw or rode or ate.  His life was complete.  This is what I tell myself.  To my credit though, he STILL talks about meeting Jake, so thanks again Superdad.  Oh, and you see how Canon's eyes look crazy tired and red?  He was so overwhelmed with meeting Jake that he wouldn't eat (again) and so he wasn't feeling too hot until after these pictures.  This kid...

However, other people on our trip had things on their to-do list.  For Grandpa, it was experiencing the Magic Kingdom (and specifically It's A Small World) with Canon.  So, after breakfast we hopped on the bus and headed that way.  We decided to take the bus to the monorail station because Canon wanted to ride it so badly.  Ok, so I lied. He still had things that he wanted to do and see.



Once in Magic Kingdom, we headed to the teacups (again).



Next stop, It's A Small World (it's a small world after all, it's a small world after all, it's a small world after all, it's a small, small world).  You're welcome.







At this point, Canon was getting tired so we rode Pirates of the Caribbean (it's dark and slow) so that he could rest for a while, and then headed over to take a Jungle Cruise.  Always a fun time.   

We had dinner reservations and the Fantasmic! fireworks and laser show to see in Hollywood Studios that evening, so we headed back that way early to check out the sites.



   
Adult beverages after a major toddler meltdown followed by an epic crash into nap?  Yes, I believe I deserved that.  Heaven in a plastic cup.



  That right there?  That is a kid loving on his Grandpa so much that he wouldn't let go even for a picture.  

We had preferred seating to the Fantasmic! fireworks and laser show.  This show incorporates Sorcerer Mickey fighting a dragon, sword fighting pirates, lasers, pyrotechnics, and a ton of other beloved characters floating by on boats.  How can you go wrong with boats?  That is the question that these guys ask everyday. In short, everyone loved the show.  It was definitely a hit in our group.  A fantastic end to our time with Grandpa at Disney.  Never fear.  We stayed on for two more days so I still have more to show you!





4 comments:

  1. Aw Canon sounds (and looks!) so sweet - his love for his grandpa, for Jake and his excitability is just so cute! Well done for making it such an amazing experience for him!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much! We may be biased (we are), but we think he is the coolest dude around!

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