Disney Vacation 2020 || Day 5, Part 2

Night five deserves its own post. We headed back to the Magic Kingdom for our final night around the castle, and though we had every intention of riding some rides, once we found our perfect fireworks viewing spot, we couldn't convince ourselves to leave it! Of all the countless times I've been able to watch fireworks above the castle, I'm not sure we've ever been that front and center.

So instead of riding rides, we grabbed hot dogs and french fries and refreshments and plopped ourselves down right on the curb in the middle of The Hub... Cinderella's castle looming large and gorgeous in front of us... Mickey and friends parading by for street dance parties and music right at the tips of our feet. We even Facetimed Kaitlyn right there from that spot and dreamed all the dreams of her first time experiencing the magic with us. And now I just can't believe how perfectly we timed our trip. We were able to go immediately before the COVID crisis hit, and just today Disney World announced it will re-open July 11th but without parades. Without fireworks. Without character meet and greets. WITH face masks required. Disney won't be Disney for quite some time but will be back to normal by the time we return again, and I'm so grateful we went when we did.

Watching the world go dark from this spot is just as magical at 35 years old as it is at seven years old. And I never stop feeling blessed every time we get to experience it.

And this year, we were able to experience Disney's "new" Magic Kingdom fireworks show - "Happily Ever After." And they just keep out-doing themselves. The fireworks were bigger than ever, the music more beautiful than ever, and even still - Tinkerbell still flies from the top castle window just before the finale -- waving her pixie dust over us all.

"The battles. The stories. The losses and all the glories. We're changed by the way we live every day. Just look up and reach to the sky. We all have the courage to fly..."

Lights out on our final night in the Kingdom. But one more day left of our trip.

Disney Vacation 2020 || Day 5, Part 1

The morning of Day 5 took us back to the Animal Kingdom - and what would be our favorite "rides day" of the trip.

We started off with Fast Passes for Dinosaur - a ride we missed in 2016 due to refurbishment, and one that I hadn't been on since I was quite young. Dad lost his sunglasses while riding this time around - just another Disney accessories casualty!

We grabbed some drinks and snacks and then it was finally time for our ride on Mt. Everest! This was a favorite memory from 2016 when we ALL rode it together, but Jaden and Mom refused to brave it this time. ;) However, the rest of us had a blast and once again agreed that it just might be our favorite roller coaster anywhere. It appears terrifying, and I was even quite scared riding this time around while thinking of my sweet baby girl back at home waiting for me, but after riding it again, I think I would ride it all day long if I could.

We enjoyed lunch on the water with a view and once again the Disney wildlife showed us how used to people they are - and how much they enjoy the easy access to food. :)

This guy dined with us the whole noon-hour. ;)

And then it was time to hop on the train to take us to Rafiki's Planet Watch - another new experience for us!

We spent a good chunk of time here, bonding with goats mostly (Brandon made a buddy and would not part from him!), and we got to see behind the scenes where the Animal Kingdom animals are treated, where surgeries take place and where the animal lab is!

And then finally - a moment we'd waited years for - our fast pass window opened up for Avatar's Flight of Passage - another one of Disney's new and award-winning rides in Pandora land.

The only picture I got from this one was standing outside the entrance, but wow, what an experience. We all actually enjoyed this ride even more than the big Star Wars ride, and there is really no way to put it into words. The premise of the ride is that you are flying on the back of a banshee through the world of Avatar, but how Disney makes it feel so REAL is unbelievable. Before riding, I had heard stories of people actually crying on this ride because it all looks so real and beautiful, and once I experienced it for myself, I completely understood how you can become emotional during the experience, as I almost did so myself! You can feel the animal breathing beneath your legs, your stomach actually feels like you're doing jelly rolls in the sky on the back of this animal, and the world all around you looks like what I envision Heaven will be one day. As soon as the ride started, Cody whispered to me, "This is going to be intense." And the entire time we were riding, I kept saying, "I don't want this to end. I don't want this to end." I was almost shaking when it was over because it was so incredibly overwhelming. I cannot WAIT to do this again in a few years.

More to come from Day 5... but the rest of the day deserves its own post!