We live in the best place in Florida. Now, this is clearly my opinion, but I truly feel that we hit the jackpot in where we live.
Each year, an average of 52 million people visit Disney World. It is the most visited vacation resort in the world. And we, those of us who receive Nonahood News to our home, live a comfortable 30 minutes away.
As a child, I loved going to Disney World. I didn’t live in Central Florida, but we visited every couple years. As an adult, I want to share some of those memories I made with my parents with my own children.
When my oldest son was nine months old, my husband and I decided to become annual passholders. Our son was free, and we found all the baby spots in each park and enjoyed going for a few hours on the weekends.
After a few years of having our passes, we stopped renewing. We had two kids, and four passes is much more expensive than two. Our lives were also busy with soccer, golf, basketball, birthday parties, and the many friend and family commitments we made. Life simply takes over; family time is pulled in different directions.
This past year, we won four Disney World park hopper tickets, and we decided to go over winter break. WE LOVED IT.
Gone are the days when we needed strollers and diapers and multiple snacks. The kids are older and can ride all the rides. They have become little people that enjoy similar things we enjoy. Needless to say, we became passholders again.
We arrived at Magic Kingdom around 2 p.m., and it was jam-packed. It was so packed we even ran into three other neighbors while at Magic Kingdom. This is my husband’s least favorite park, but we had planned ahead and had three fast passes ready to go!
Our first fast pass was Pirates of the Caribbean. As it turned out, the ride was shut down, so Disney, being Disney, gave us a “free” fast pass to nearly all the rides at Magic Kingdom. We chose Big Thunder Mountain because my youngest son had never ridden it. It was so great!
Our next ride was the Buzz Lightyear ride. This ride is also a game. For the first time, my boys rode together, and my husband and I got to ride together. They loved teaming up against us, and we enjoyed watching them laugh every time they hit a target. Seeing them as buddies was worth the season passes.
Our final ride was the racecars. The sun was beginning to set, and I got to ride with my younger son and listen to him giggle as he maneuvered the steering wheel. He’s not quite tall enough to press the gas pedal on his own, so I would push with all my might and we still went very slowly. But he didn’t mind. He was driving a car by himself. My older son and my husband were behind, trying to catch us and squealing as they got closer and closer to our car.
By 5:30, we were ready to get home and make dinner. Having the passes gives us the luxury to go for a few hours and not feel guilty for not doing and seeing everything. Although if it were up to me, I’d stay until the fireworks.
We get moments. In life and as parents, one moment ends as another begins. I have enjoyed every stage that my kids have been in, but I also know that they have all been passing moments. Even this current stage is a moment that will shift and pass. As parents, we get these little beings, and as we guide them, they turn into little people, then big people, then they are grown folk. For now, I’ll continue to enjoy these moments I get. I’ll try and be the mom they want and the parent they deserve. I’ll continue to cherish the simple laughter from driving a very slow racecar.
Photos by Michael and Natalia Foote
