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✨ Christie’s First Trip to Disney World
🏰 Her First Time Ever at Walt Disney World
❤️ A Surprise Months in the Making
It all started back in March 2023. It was time to start planning Christie’s 50th birthday, and I wanted it to be something special. Something she had always wanted to do.
So I called a friend of mine at Adventure Dreams Travel to help me put everything together. Christie had never been to Disney World, so I thought, why not book a vacation to Orlando?
As we made plans for our October getaway, Christie had no idea what was going on. Everyone knew about the trip except her.
Then one day in September, a welcome packet from Disney arrived in the mail. Not knowing what else might be sent, I decided it was time to tell her. The look on her face when I handed her that packet is something I will never forget.
💍 The Long Way Through Savannah
Sixteen years earlier, Christie and I were in Savannah and bought our wedding bands. Since then, my band had broken and was stolen earlier that year.
Christie decided that if we were heading to Orlando, we should take the long way and stop in Savannah to go back to the same place where our ring story began.
We left on Friday and drove to Savannah. After checking in, we made our way to River Street and stopped at Cassandra’s Jewelry. We told the staff our story about buying our original rings there and how we needed a new set.
They were very helpful, and after choosing our rings, we walked along River Street, watched barges coming and going from the port, and enjoyed dinner in Savannah.
🍊 Welcome to Florida
The next morning we got ready to head out for Orlando. I’m not sure who was more excited — Christie or me.
We made our way down I-95 through Brunswick and Waverly. When we reached the Florida state line, Christie remembered stopping at the Welcome Center as a child for a free cup of orange juice.
So we stopped and relived that memory.
After our free cup of Florida orange juice, we kept going through Jacksonville and made a quick stop at Buc-ee’s in St. Augustine. Then we finally made it to Walt Disney World.
🏨 Pop Century & Disney Springs
We checked into our room at Pop Century Resort and made our way to Disney Springs to officially kick off Christie’s birthday week.
We walked around Disney Springs and had dinner at Raglan Road Irish Pub. The trip had officially begun.
🦁 Animal Kingdom & A Magic Kingdom Surprise
The next morning started our Disney adventure with Animal Kingdom.
My first stop was Starbucks. Somebody needed coffee, and I needed a cinnamon roll.
After breakfast, we made our way to Kilimanjaro Safaris to visit our animal friends. We saw some shows, walked around the park, and enjoyed the sights.
It was October 9th, and Christie would turn 50 the next day. Since we had Park Hopper passes, I wanted her to experience Magic Kingdom before she officially turned 50.
We timed it perfectly. As soon as we got there, a parade was about to start.
We watched the parade on Main Street U.S.A. and made our way down to Cinderella Castle. Then we headed over to Tomorrowland and rode the PeopleMover.
I also wanted Christie to experience the Monorail, so we left Magic Kingdom and rode it over to EPCOT. My plan was to take the Skyliner back to Pop Century, but I didn’t realize the Monorail and Skyliner were on opposite sides of EPCOT.
So we walked through EPCOT, got a couple of pictures, made our way to the Skyliner, and then headed back to Pop Century to relax.
🌐 EPCOT, Germany & Guardians of the Galaxy
The next day, we made our way back to EPCOT and spent the day there.
We rode Spaceship Earth, went to The Seas with Nemo & Friends, and spent some time with Crush. At 1 o’clock, I got the Virtual Queue for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Unfortunately, we had to wait until almost 8 p.m. to ride.
While walking through the World Showcase, we stopped in Germany. Before getting bratwurst, I noticed a sign that said Würzburg.
We also went to the Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival. On the way in, we noticed Mickey and Minnie taking pictures with guests, so of course we got a picture with them.
Later, we headed toward Test Track, built our car, and got to test drive it.
Finally, around 7:30, we got the notification for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. After waiting almost six hours, we got to the ride and were told it was down and we would have to wait about thirty more minutes.
We grabbed something to eat, came back, and finally rode it. I will say this: it is by far the best ride I have ever been on.
🏰 Magic Kingdom Birthday Magic
Wednesday was our full day at Magic Kingdom, and it felt like everyone else had the same idea.
At 7 a.m., I got on the Virtual Queue for TRON and landed Group 6, which meant we had to get to the park quickly. We made rope drop and headed straight to TRON. There was hardly any wait, and the ride was great.
After TRON, we made our way to Space Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean. Then Christie looked at me and said, “I’m exhausted. Can we go back to the room?”
I had no problem with that plan. We went back to the resort and took a much-needed nap.
Around 5 p.m., we made our way back to Magic Kingdom to get ready for Happily Ever After fireworks. It started raining, but we made the best of it. The best part was that it stopped before the fireworks began.
🎬 Hollywood Studios
Thursday was our last park day, and Hollywood Studios was the park we chose.
We watched the Indiana Jones Stunt Show, rode the Star Wars rides, and rode Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster. It was a long four days, but I couldn’t have thought of a better way to spend Christie’s 50th birthday.
🏁 Daytona & St. Augustine Bonus Adventure
Friday morning came, and we loaded up the truck to head home. Christie mentioned she had never been to St. Augustine, which gave me an idea.
We were now going to visit St. Augustine.
As we headed up I-4, I had to make one little stop at Daytona International Speedway. We toured the track and then continued north to St. Augustine.
After checking in, we grabbed something to eat at Osteen’s.
After dinner, we walked St. George Street and enjoyed the historic town. The next morning, we toured Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, walked the streets of St. Augustine, and visited the Fountain of Youth before heading home.
❤️ Final Thoughts
This trip was more than a birthday celebration.
It was Christie’s first visit to Disney World. It was a return to Savannah, where part of our wedding story began. It was reliving childhood memories at the Florida Welcome Center. It was finding a piece of my past in EPCOT’s Germany Pavilion. It was rides, fireworks, rain, laughter, walking until we were worn out, and making memories together.
💍 A return to Savannah for new wedding bands
🍊 A Florida Welcome Center memory
🏰 Christie’s first time at Disney World
🎂 A 50th birthday celebration
🌐 EPCOT, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios
🚀 TRON and Guardians of the Galaxy
🏁 Daytona International Speedway
🏰 A bonus trip to St. Augustine
Christie and I had not been on a “real” vacation in a while, but this trip reminded us that we need to do it more often.
The best gifts are not always things. Sometimes they are experiences, surprises, road trips, and moments you get to share with the person you love.
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