October Vacation Day 9 - Disney World!

I went to Disney World with my pen pal, Sue Seese, in 1974, forty-four years ago. Never have I been to Disney World, but during this trip I finally got that opportunity.

Clockwise from top: Kyle, Bill, me, Craig, and Lynda.

Craig's cousin, Lynda Ramsey, her husband Bill, and their two kids are all Disney employees. They invited us to go to Disney as their guests absolutely free using the passes they receive as employees.

Knowing the park as she does, Lynda had done some planning ahead and we got some special treats.

Like a meet and greet with Mickie and Minnie!

Clockwise from top left: Mickey, Kyle, me, Ashley, Craig, Lynda, Emily, Bill, Minnie, Corinne, Addie, Braden, and Whitney.

The Lion King show was AMAZING. I was in a wheelchair and so we were on the main floor.

That enabled the kids to be selected to actually participate in the show!

They played games with some of the characters

and then paraded around the floor with the other as part of the show!

I was so excited for them! 

The costuming was incredible - this is a zebra.

Our day was spent in the Animal Kingdom. We went on a dinosaur ride; I don't remember its name, but it really banged you around in the cars. I did NOT like it.

Kyle and Craig shared wheelchair pushing duties. I was a little embarrassed, but I could never have walked all over the park on my own.

Lynda and Braden look at the Matterhorn together.

In addition to The Lion King show we saw A Bug's Life

and Finding Nemo.

After The Lion King, neither could really compare, but they were fun in their own ways.

Finding Nemo was essentially a puppet show, and the puppetry was creative and beautiful.

We went out into the Harambe Wildlife Reserve to see the wild animals.

The scenery was lovely, but the ride very bumpy and jolting.

The giraffes were so active that afternoon

that several times the caravan came to a complete stop as the animals were blocking the road. Disney policy, which I agree with completely, is that we wait for the animals to move so the ride can continue.

Addie and Corinne look at the crocodile pool.

After dinner at The Yeti, we went to the Avatar display. Lynda, Emily, Bill, and I rode the boat through the more sedate underground ride while the rest of the family rode the thriller ride. (Craig said afterward that I had made the right decision to ride the other ride.)

Such a fun day together! And Lynda and her family saved us around $1,000 by inviting us to be their guests. It was a wonderful way to wrap up the Florida portion of our vacation.