Neal was on a 6-week trial in West Palm Beach, Florida - only a 3 hour drive from Orlando. So, I decided to fly out for a visit and we headed to Disney World! Neal had been to the Magic Kingdom once years ago, and I had never been to any of the parks, so we set out for a full day of exploring. We had 12 hours and in that time we hit 3 of the 4 parks. A great day of exercise!
First stop: Epcot
Entering the World Showcase
Olala, c'est le Francais! Tres magnifique!
Do you see the Eiffel Tower in the background?
The infamous ball
(I believe this is officially called "Spaceship Earth")
Japanese Pagoda
Neal standing in front of a miniature train set and village
China
Norway
Next Stop: Hollywood Studios
Sunset Blvd.....sort of
Probably the coolest thing we did at this park was visit the
American Idol mock studio. It was pretty realistic and we
even got to see a live show! Winners of the Disneyworld
American Idol shows get a pass to the front of the line of any
American Idol audition in the country. So, one of the people
we saw perform could, indeed, be our next American Idol.
There was a 15 year old country singer who was really good...
keeping my eye out for her.
San Francisco wall
Audience members participating in a mock movie.
The fire in this picture looks like a dragon coming
out of the water.
Tram Tour
Does anyone remember the movie, "Flight of the Navigator"?
It was one of our favorites growing up, and here we are driving
by the space craft from the movie.
Another one of my favorite movies as a kid was "Splash."
Here is the fountain that Tom Hanks bought for Daryl Hannah.
We happened to show up on Star Wars weekend, so we saw
characters from the movie walking around everywhere.
I have to admit, it was a little disturbing to see a 5-year old
boy with his face painted like Darth Maul.
Of course, no Disney experience would be complete
without seeing Indy.
Next Stop: Magic Kingdom
Having grown up with Disneyland in California, the
Magic Kingdom was definitely my favorite park. It reminded
me of so many good times with family and friends, and is,
indeed, a "magical experience."
Arriving at the park we caught Mickey's parade
Look, he even blew us a kiss!
In the distance: Thunder Mountain, my personal favorite.
Of course we had to ride this one! We also rode Pirates of
the Carribbean and Haunted Mansion - other favorites.
On our way out we caught some of the Electric Parade.
It still amazes me after all these years how these floats
are so beautifully lit. I felt like a kid all over again!
Final Stop: Downtown Disney
To end our big day we walked the length of Downtown
Disney and found a nice place on the water to sit down
and eat. We were so hungry after all that walking!
It was a short visit to Disneyworld but we were happy
to experience some magic for the day. We'll definitely
be back.....
