Disney Insanity

I know the appropriate term is "Disney Magic," and that's what we experienced during the 2008 Holiday season. However, in 2009, insanity is the more accurate adjective. In '08, we were told by Disney staff that we had timed our departure (Dec. 24th) perfectly to avoid the crowds. Why oh why didn't I heed the warning?!?

Nope, not me! I thought, "How bad can it really be?" and planned a 2-day trip back to "the happiest place on Earth" during the busiest week of the year between Christmas and New Year's Day. Genius! We arrived just before Noon on day 1 only to discover that The Magic Kingdom was at capacity, and they weren't allowing anyone else to enter the park. Great!

Did that stop us? No! Determined to make the best of the situation, we headed over Disney's Hollywood Studios, our backup park choice. We had planned to possibly check it out on day 2. It seemed easy enough to simply flip-flop our itinerary. I have to admit, I was a little nervous though. Magic Kingdom is by far the largest park when it comes to attractions. I feared that the handful of worthwhile rides and shows at Hollywood Studios would have ridiculous lines.

I was right, for the most part, but we tried not to get discouraged. All we needed was a plan. We learned very quickly during the '08 trip that you are pretty much screwed at Disney without a plan. You just end up wandering aimlessly among the massive crowd people. So, we grabbed a map and formulated a plan of attack.

First, meet the characters. We crossed paths with the Power Rangers, but Jax didn't seem interested in meeting them. I suspected Jax's lack of enthusiasm was the result of wanting to see his favorite characters, Lightening and Mater. While that was part of it, Jax later confessed that he felt a bit intimidated by the Power Rangers. I guess I can't blame him. They are Super Heroes, after all.

Baylor once again missed out on the opportunity to meet the Cars characters because he was napping in his stroller. This is exactly what happened last year. Oh well! I'm sure he'll have opportunity to pose with Lightening & Mater at some point in 2010. He's lucky we bought the annual pass!

Our second stop was the Lights, Motors, Action stunt show. I missed out on this last year because I was busy talking with security about my stolen/lost purse. Yeah, that was a blast! My suspicions from last year were confirmed during this trip, the group that saw the show got the better end of the deal! It was awesome!

After the show, we milled around for a bit. The already crowded park seemed even more crowded, and we decided it was probably best to just find an attraction and get in line. Everything had a line by that point!

Baylor's favorite ride of the day was one that featured scenes from some of Hollywood's greatest movies. He was wide-eyed from start to finish, taking it all in. Baylor seemed to enjoy being caught in the middle of an old west gun fight. If only he hadn't left his holster and 6-shooter at home!

Never one for Westerns, my favorite scene involved a yellow brick road.

With the sun setting and the temperatures dipping, we decided the only way to keep warm was an adrenaline rush. At Hollywood Studios, that means a ride on Aerosmith's Rockin' Roller Coaster and The Twilight Tower of Terror. The lines were long, but Baylor & Jax actually came to our rescue.

Disney offers parents (with children that are too small to ride some of the faster attractions) a switch ticket which allows the two parents the opportunity to switch off and take turns on the ride. Basically, the ticket works like a fast pass. As an added bonus, you are allowed to take up to 3 people with you on one switch ticket. Thanks, Disney!

While it didn't go according to plan, day 1 did turn out successfully. We were able to see/ride all of the major attractions. That's no small victory when you consider the volume of people. Stay tuned to hear whether our luck continued on day 2.