The Wonderful World of Disney #TBTStories

I am sharing a Disney post today for Throwback Thursday Stories, hosted by Jessica of The Mom Creative.

Our first and only trip to Disney was in November 1993 when we drove the big green van to Florida for 2 days at the beach and 2 days at Disney World. We shared Thanksgiving dinner with my friend Ann and her family, who were living in Florida at the time.

I think I have mentioned before that I am a planner of trips. For this one, I checked out all the Disney tour books from the library and studied them cover to cover to learn every trick and time saver for the best way to visit WDW.

As we approached the parking lot, in that looonng line of cars eager to enter the Magic Kingdom, I was frantically reviewing the books since they would be too heavy to carry with me into the park. It was like I was doing my last minute cramming for a big test.

As the books advised, as soon as we entered the park, Jim took the four older kids straight to Space Mountain, while Adam and I went to the castle to make a lunch reservation. There was no such thing as an 'online reservation.' It had to be done in person. After they rode Space Mountain, we would meet up in the line to see Mickey Mouse. We didn't have cell phones, either.

It all worked perfectly, and the requisite visit with Mickey was completed, reservation made, and Space Mountain ridden (by those who were tall enough to ride) all in our first hour inside the Magic Kingdom.

We were able to see Minnie Moo the cow, with the mouse head on her side. As was our tradition, we all wore matching outfits everywhere most places we went, so of course we matched at Disney World. It did make it easier to keep track of everyone in a crowd. Sometimes, we even tallied up the 'Where's Waldo' comments.

They enjoyed imagining a home in the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse.

When I said we all wore matching outfits, I meant we ALL wore matching outfits. It's one way to stand out in a crowd. :)

We had a fun lunch in the castle, where they mistakenly addressed Adam as 'princess' instead of 'prince.' I guess it was the haircut. And that cute wittle face. Lol.

We spent our second day at Disney MGM, where Mickey was all dressed for Hollywood. And yes, I painted their sweatshirts. All part of the trip preparation. We saw the 'Star Wars Thrill Ride', which was more like a stage show, and ate our lunch in a cute little place that was made to look like Mom's 1950's kitchen.

Our kids were always good travelers, whether by car or by air, and this trip was no different. We had activity books and games in the car, and we sometimes listened to books on tape (also from the library) or played travel games to pass the time on the road. Anyone see a 'J'?
We had a good time, and learned that a Disney vacation is hard work, what with the pressure to do and see every thing (and all that studying, lol). I guess that's why we spent most of our subsequent vacations on our favorite beach!

Linking up with Throwback Thursday Stories #TBTStories at themomcreative.com.