A Trip to Disney World

Broch and I had been talking about taking Tessa to Disney for quite some time.  We had talked about taking her in January over MLK weekend, but we found a great deal (free dining plan if we stayed at a moderate resort) for September.  So, we decided to go ahead and book the trip.  We worked hard prepping Tessa for the upcoming trip.  She had never been on a plane before, so that was a big thing for her.  Also, she is very timid around anyone dressed up in a costume, especially Santa and the Easter Bunny.  So, we watched a lot of youtube videos with characters in them.  We even watched youtube videos of some of the rides, so she would know what to expect.  We also checked out a TON of movies from the library of Disney films we had never seen, so that Tessa would recognize the characters.

Tess did great on the plane!

Tessa's gift

Day 1 - We flew Southwest out of Midway.  She did awesome on the plane and even fell asleep on the way out there.  We stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort.  It was awesome!  It was pretty big and spread out, but the pools were great!  We arrived on September 11th, but our first day in the parks wasn't until the following day.  We didn't arrive until late afternoon, so by the time we checked-in and had dinner it was time to go to bed.  Tess was so excited because our travel agent had set up to have a balloon bouquet delivered for Tessa from Mickey mouse.  She thought that was pretty cool.

Day 2 - Epcot

Tessa and Snow White

We had breakfast reservations at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall where we would be meeting some princesses.  One of the main goals of our trip was so Tessa could meet the princesses.  She LOVES them.  We were able to meet quite a few at breakfast - Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, Snow White, and Mary Poppins.  Tessa was so excited about seeing them, she hardly ate anything.

Tessa and Princess Aurora
aka Sleeping Beauty

After breakfast we headed to ride Soarin' as well as a few other rides before heading around the world showcase.  At first, I didn't think there would be much for Tessa to do at Epcot, but in reality we met a bunch of characters so she loved it.  While in Epcot, we also met Jasmine and Aladdin, Mulan, Princess Aurora, Minnie and Mickey, and Pluto and Goofy.  The only masked character that Tessa was a little bit okay with was Minnie.  The other three, she was scared to be around.

Day 3 - Magic Kingdom

Snow White after the
BBB.

Tessa's favorite ride - the tea cups

This day was probably our busiest day.  We had breakfast reservations at Crystal Palace to eat with Winnie the Pooh and friends.  This didn't go well because Tessa was too nervous around the characters.  She would wave at them, but she did not want her picture taken.  After we finished breakfast we headed to Enchanted Tales with Belle where Tessa was chosen to perform in the skit as the feather duster.  Then we headed to Dumbo, the Tea Cups, It's a Small World, and several other rides.  We also were able to meet Tinkerbell and some of her friends, Tiana, Merida, Marie, The Mad Hatter and Alice as well as Rupunzel.  We did go back that afternoon for a nap and change of clothes because that night we had tickets to go to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.  Tessa dressed up as Snow White and even had her hair and make-up done at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique inside Cinderella's castle.  She LOVED that experience.  We were able to see the parade, see the villains perform, and go trick-or-treating.  Tessa even went to a dance party with Woody, Jesse, and Bullseye from Toy Story.  We also went and saw the princesses again because this time they had their princes with them.  We had a great time.  Next time we go, this park will be a two-day park for sure.

The Tree of Life

Day 4 - Animal Kingdom

Tessa and Pocahontas

We started our day off with breakfast with Donald Duck and friends at the Tusker House.  Again, Tessa was nervous around the characters, but she was starting to warm up after awhile.  We were sure to ride the safari ride.  Tess loves animals, so this was a lot of fun for her.  We also were able to see the Festival of the Lion King.  That was amazing!  Tessa was also able to meet Pocahontas, a distant relative of hers, and the characters from the Jungle Book.  Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to do much more because I got sick due to the heat.  We decided to head back to the hotel for naps and pool time.

Day 5 - Hollywood Studios
Again we started our day off with a character breakfast at Hollywood and Vine with characters from some of the Disney Jr. shows.  Tessa was nervous again, but she warmed right up and even danced with the characters to a few of the songs.  She gave them hugs and high fives too.  Too bad she warmed up on our last day there.  Tessa really enjoyed Hollywood Studios and the characters like - Buzz and Woody, the green army men, Sully and Mike Wazowski, and especially Sofia the First.  We went on a few rides and saw the Muppet Show.  It was a great day!

Day 6 - Traveling back to Chicago
We had an early flight back to Chicago.  Tessa did great on this flight as well.  She talked to our flight attendant and we found out that he use to be Goofy for several years at Disney.  He shared some great insights and gave us some great tips for our future trips.  Although this vacation was jammed packed, it was also a lot of fun.  We can't wait to go back again some time.