With two different conferences in ten months in Florida for work, we were able to go to Disney World twice. The first conference was a surprise in March 2018 and the second was well planned for D's fifth birthday celebration in January 2019.
2018:
The first conference was in Orlando, so we went to Disney World first for three days. We stayed at Pop Disney Resort. We went to Animal Kingdom for early hour, as we are up, and went to Dino Land. As any kid loves dinosaurs, animals and rides it was a big hit until nap time. During this he rode his first "Dumbo" ride, his first simulator and his first roller coaster. After nap, we went to Disney Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM). We watched Disney Junior and Frozen shows and had to buy a lightsaber. The next day we went as hard as we could at Magic Kingdom. We loved the test track, teacups and silly character rides. We ended up at a non-Disney family hotel. He had with his own room and the hotel had multiple pools with splash-pads and pirates. While I was at my conference he had more fun at the hotel than Disney. We got to eat at TRex and enjoy Disney Springs as well this trip for the first time.
2019:
By January, we were back in Florida for another conference. We started for a few days in Tampa. We got to explore the nice downtown area. We all went to the aquarium and walked around. While I was at the conference, they enjoyed the kids museum, trolley and pool. We took an Uber to Orlando. This time, as it was a very special occasion, we stayed at the Port Orleans Riverside hotel. We stayed in a birthday princess room. The first night we rode the riverboat to eat treats and dinner at Disney Springs. The next day we finally got to Epcot at 8am and rode all of the future area rides. By the second country, our son was too tired to go on. As this is my favorite park, I have vowed to come back and visit all of the countries. But hey, we made it to Italy with our son, so it counts. We then did Magic Kingdom for a day and really got to ride most of the rides! We ended at Animal Kingdom, a nap and some time at Disney Hollywood Studios. We were excited to visit the newly opened Toy Store Land and ride Slinky Dog. This was a magical trip for a wonderful kid. This trip was much better than any birthday party!
Disney, I am sure we will be back soon. Whether it be Orlando, Anaheim or a cruise....
