Disneyworld 2024

The last time we were in Disneyworld was decades ago, but this time with Jack and Benjamin, with their mom and dad tagging along, brought back all those memories. Elizabeth had every day planned down to the entry time for every ride, and thanks to expert help from a friend of hers and Andrew’s, the trip went like clockwork. That’s not to say we didn’t run into a few obstacles, like Hurricane Debby hitting Florida the day after we arrived, and poor Jack running a fever for the first day traveling. We did get drenched a few times over, but the storm brought cloudy, cooler weather for a couple of days. And that’s big relief in the sweltering temps of Orlando in August. It was altogether a wonderful trip. We started in Animal Kingdom with the intense but beautiful banshee ride in Pandora and the Kilimanjaro Safari, which surprised us with the number of African animals we saw up close in their natural habitat. That morning we were all dressed in rain gear, except for Mark, and prepared to be drenched in the Kali River Rapids, when a sudden downpour hit just as the ride started, soaking Mark to the skin. He was a hilarious sight, straight out of a Disney cartoon. The Disney characters—Mickey, Chip & Dale, and Pluto especially—were a big hit with Jack and Benji, along with all the princesses. Pirates of the Caribbean was the thing Benjamin was looking forward to, but we were surprised at how much he liked the Haunted Mansion. Jack’s big imagination got the better of him on that ride. All in all, Magic Kingdom was, well, magical, and the perfect place for the boys to burn energy climbing the Swiss Family Treehouse and exploring Tom Sawyer Island. Epcot has always been Elizabeth’s favorite. She chose the Yacht Club near the entrance to the World Showcase for our stay and planned dinners in France, Mexico, and Canada. Of course, we spent a good amount of time in Japan and were so impressed with the lovely young Japanese women working there. Elizabeth was a woman on a mission getting the boys’ official passports stamped in each country. These very special keepsakes were well worth all the effort. Hollywood Studios was our last stop where Toy Story, Indiana Jones, and Star Wars live up to their top billing. Hands down, my favorites were the Star Wars rides, Soarin’ Around the World, old classics like Spaceship Earth and Snow White, and every attraction with Disney music. As always, the music is the icing on the cake.