Quality Over Quantity
An Artist’s Getaway & Day 1 of Our Disney Adventure
Back in September, when I whisked Priscilla away to Disney, I had a bit of a lightbulb moment: sometimes, less really is more. Taking a shorter trip with fewer children allows me to truly curate the magic for the individual child.
Since Ryland is a college student, his schedule is usually a puzzle, but he had the entire month of January wide open. Being the resident artist and foodie—with Epcot holding the crown as his favorite park—the Festival of the Arts was calling his name. It was the perfect timing for Ryland's special trip with the four of us.
From Tarmac to Tacos
We hopped on a plane at 6:00 AM, and the moment our feet touched Florida soil, we took an Uber straight to Epcot. A huge shoutout to Pop Century for whisking our luggage away so we could hit the ground running!
By the time we arrived, we were absolutely starving. We made a beeline for Connections Cafe and Eatery. Ryland dove into the Festival-exclusive Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich, while I opted for the General Tso Chicken Salad. I may have also treated myself to two Mango Mai Tais (when in Disney, right?). Everything was a solid 10/10—highly recommend!
Lessons in Patience and Safety
Next up: Turtle Talk with Crush. When we arrived, there was room for us, but we were at the very tail end of the line. Now, here’s a little mom-pro-tip: in this attraction, kids are invited to sit on the floor up front and parents sit in rows behind them. If you’re at the end of the line, you’re in the back row, which creates a lot of separation between you and your child.
Because of my children’s "letter diagnosis," I’m much more comfortable being within arm’s reach at all times, just in case there happens to be a "moment." If you know, you know. For me, an extra 20-minute wait for the next show is a small price to pay for safety.
While Brian took Illa to go look at the fish, Ryland and I held our place. A very kind Cast Member actually brought out a game to play with us—guessing which products match how long they take to biodegrade. It was actually really hard! It helped pass the time entertainingly. When we finally got inside, both Priscilla and I were chosen to talk to Crush. It was so much fun.
The Art of the Pivot
We squeezed in Soarin’ and Figment (we are big fans of Figment!), timing it perfectly to meet him. Right as we finished, our room-ready notification popped up, so we popped on the Skyliner and hit our room to drop off the extra things I didn’t want to carry around.
Then, we did something I rarely do: we Park Hopped. I usually think hopping is a waste of time, but with only three days to do four parks, we gave it a go. We headed straight for Magic Kingdom!
Magic, Mishaps, and Main Street
When we got to Main Street and saw a photographer, we grabbed a quick photo session. Then, we focused only on the favorites. We started with Dumbo, then waited in line for Barnstormer. Just as we got seated, the ride shut down! They gifted us an express pass for another ride, so we hit Tron, Space Mountain, and used our pass for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
Then came the big moment: Fireworks. On our last few trips, we missed them, and I promised Illa she would see them. She was just a baby last time we watched them, and on our trip in September, it rained on our Magic Kingdom night. I sent the boys ahead to secure our Chef Mickey reservations while Priscilla and I watched the fireworks with a decent view. I positioned us right at the edge of the roped-off walkway so we could hit the ground running the second they were over.
That is exactly what we did. We sprinted to the Contemporary with seconds to spare to check into our dining reservation!
A Grand Finale at Chef Mickey’s
We were the last group seated, and at first, I was nervous that we would get less interactive characters and leftover dry food. I was happily wrong!
The characters spent so much time with us. Priscilla said it was her favorite time there because she got so much attention. And the food was the best I have ever had there. I normally think the food is mediocre at Chef Mickey’s, but this time it was so fresh. I loved the salmon, and the carved New York strip was perfect. It was one of our best visits. Our waitress even brought us a celebration cupcake just because.
Day one was great. We missed out on a few things we wanted, like Guardians and the Tiki Room, but there is always next time. I used to try to shove everything in because “it’s a once-in-a-lifetime trip,” but now I know there will be a next time. In fact, I have two more days to get Guardians in!
