A Magical Birthday Surprise at Walt Disney World
Have birthday button, will travel
Last Sunday, as we were getting ready for bed, my husband said, "I have a surprise for your birthday."
I'd already gotten my birthday present--season tickets to the Dock Street Theatre--and I wasn't expecting anything else, so the fact that I had a surprise was a surprise in itself. We're really big into giving experiences rather than things, so I was curious what he'd gotten me.
After about two minutes of pestering him for more details, Landon gave in and told me (we're both awful secret keepers): he'd decided to use his last two vacation days on the 12th and 13th, so he could spend my birthday with me.
Add in the fact that, as a banker, he already had the 11th (Veteran's Day) off, and I was really excited about spending several days with him and Britton.
On Monday morning, I called him at work with a wacky idea. "Do you want to take Britton to Disney World on your days off?" I asked, fully expecting to hear a no. But to my surprise, he said, "Definitely. Book it."
It turns out that he'd taken the days off in anticipation of going to Disney for a few days, and he was waiting to see how long it was going to take me to suggest it. (13.5 hours, for anyone counting.)
The man knows me.
So, by mid-morning on Monday, I'd gotten our hotel lined up, our tickets purchased, and my blog stuff scheduled out for the rest of the week. Never let anyone tell you that you can't be spontaneous once you've got kids!
My birthday celebration trip to Walt Disney World started on Tuesday afternoon. Britton and I picked up Landon from work, and Landon and I told her where she was going. We'd wanted to surprise her, too! I don't think she really believed us until she saw the gates the next morning, though.
On Veteran's Day, we headed into Magic Kingdom for our first day at Disney. Britton's hit an awesome age for the theme parks, so she wanted to do everything as many times as we'd let her. Over the next 12 hours, we met Merida, rode the tea cups at least 4 times, met Pooh and Tigger, and went for a whirl on Dumbo.
Taking a quick break after back-to-back carousel rides
Giving Merida a BIG hug
Britton was in love with Tigger and Pooh!
That night, we stayed for the lighting of the castle, which never fails to bring a tear to my eye. Britton was so excited that Anna and Elsa were there for the lighting show!
We hadn't been expecting Magic Kingdom to be as busy as it was on Veteran's Day, but apparently some Florida schools have that day off. Just be prepared for higher than normal park attendance if you're visiting that week next year.
Due to the crowds, we didn't get to see everything that we'd wanted to, so we scrapped our earlier plans to go to Hollywood Studios on my actual birthday. Instead, we headed back to Magic Kingdom on the 12th for a full day of magical birthday fun.
Having a dance off with Mr. Incredible
We gave Buzz Lightyear a high five, had a dance party with the Incredibles and Frozone, rode the People Mover and escaped with Jack Sparrow on the Pirates of the Caribbean.
Meeting Queen Elsa
All in all, it was the best birthday that I could've asked for. This last year hasn't been the easiest, and I was so happy to be able to cap it off with two of my favorite people in one of my favorite places.
Have you been to Walt Disney World for your birthday? What's your favorite ride to experience or character to meet?
