Travels of the Rennhack family
🎢 Park 12/13/2024 – 12/15/2024
Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside, Magic Kingdom Park
Quick pit stop before we head to the airport. Good times.
Hooray for traveling with big kids. Hello extra legroom!
40 degrees warmer than home.
The family set out for Chicago Midway. They flew from Chicago Midway to Orlando, a late flight, boarding at 7:30 and landing just before midnight. We checked in at Disney's Port Orleans Riverside well after eleven, the lobby done up for the season with a tree that reached the ceiling. Lisa posed in front of it before we finally got up to the room.
A beautiful day at Magic Kingdom. Testing out the new Lightning Lane Premier pass. One word: AMAZING. Standby lines have been running 45 minutes on average. We waited 8 minutes for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. That was our longest line. Lunch at Be Our Guest and then conquering more rides.
Lunch was spectacular.
Glad I sat this one out. I hit my roller coaster quota for the year. Take me to my ships!
The day took in Walt Disney World and Magic Kingdom, the whole family in matching shirts and Christmas Mickey ears for rope drop. Lisa signed I love you at the gate before we headed down Main Street toward the castle.
We rode through the day in order: Pirates of the Caribbean, decorated for the holidays with a jailed Santa in the queue, then the Jingle Cruise, Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Tron Lightcycle Run, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan's Flight, it's a small world (where Lisa used one of the park's captioning devices), the Haunted Mansion, and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. We stopped for lunch at Be Our Guest, in the Beast's castle, with the enchanted rose under its glass dome.
We stayed in the park after dark, Main Street lit up with its own tall Christmas tree and the castle glowing blue and gold behind it, before catching the bus back to the resort.
Every time I consider moving to Florida to be closer to the cruise ports, Mickey reminds me why I live where the cold hurts my face
Resort hopping day today. Lisa and I are heading to Hollywood Studios to catch the Skyliner over to Caribbean Beach, Pop Century and Art of Animation. Oh and every resort has a pin-trading board. My girl is obsessed with pin trading. I also have my resort refillable mug to keep me hydrated along the way.
Port Orleans Riverside to Hollywood Studios to Caribbean Beach to Art of Animation to Pop Century to Hollywood Studios to Port Orleans Riverside. Whew!
So good.
Afternoon snack date with my favorite girl. Checking out the French Quarter side of Port Orleans Resort and eating warm beignets.
Campfire on the Bayou with s'mores. Fun!
The family stayed at Disney's Port Orleans Riverside. The day took in Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney's Pop Century Resort and Disney's Art of Animation Resort, all reached by the Disney Skyliner, a slower morning of touring other resorts instead of a park. We came back for lunch, then took the Sassagoula River Cruise boat from the resort dock over to Disney Springs, where the whole family signed I love you together on the way.
Disney Springs was decorated for the holidays, a Happy Holidays tree by the entrance and Mickey and Minnie out in their own holiday outfits by the Rainforest Cafe. We went through World of Disney, and Lisa added to her pin collection. Back at the resort that evening we had beignets at Scat Cat's Club Cafe, roasted marshmallows at the fire pit, and Lisa and Thomas piled into the giant hammock by the river to finish the night.
