Patriotic Parade

Marina and I slept in this morning after a late night last night. Our plans were to go to a July 4 parade, just like last year. We left the house early and set up on the same corner. As we waited for the parade to start, a woman and her daughter arrived. We watched the parade with them last year and we were all happy to do it again.

While they waiting, the girls entertained each other. Once the parade started, they moved closer to the street. During the parade the both managed to get some candy, but Marina really got interested when the character performers came by. First she saw Belle and gave her a hug. We also saw Ariel, Tinkerbell and Marina high fived Captain America.

Once the parade was over, we went over to the shop in order to say hello to our friends. Unfortunately, they were not outside as they were last year. So we looked around at some of the other festivities before deciding to get out of the sun and go home.

Christmas Parade

We decided to go to the local Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting. We hadn’t been there before, but it sounded like fun. It wasn’t too cold, but we bundled up just in case.

We circled in the parking lot for a bit but ultimately found a space that wasn’t too far from the end of the parade route. Quite a few people had gathered already. We stopped in a store to buy hot chocolate then we looked for a place to watch. We found a place near some very nice people. While we waited, we got to know them a little bit.

When the parade started, Marina stood with the children we’d met. We saw several marching bands, cub scout packs, characters and floats. At the end was Santa on a fire engine. After the parade was over, we moved a bit to see the tree as it lit up for the holidays.

A band started to play and we went over to the stage for a closer look. They played a lot of songs Marina liked. While we were listening, we saw many of the characters from the parade. So we got photos with a polar bear, walking candy cane and gingerbread man. The we saw Anna and Elsa dancing near us, so we took one with them as well. 

When the concert ended, we said goodbye to our new friends and walked to the car. It was a fun evening!

Baseball and Star Wars

We usually attend at least one Rockies game every summer. This season, Marina was most interested in going on Star Wars night. Despite the warm weather, Marina wanted to dress as Jyn Urso, even though her Rey costume would be cooler.

We arrived early and Marina was concerned when we saw most people dressed in Rockies gear and not in Star Wars costumes. But when we got on the shuttle we saw a man in a Jedi robe and she relaxed. As we got closer to the stadium, we saw many more cosplayers.

Marina wanted to take part in the parade of people in costume before the game. We arrived just in time to line up for it. (I wasn’t in costume, but I was allowed to go with her.) We were at the back of the group and took a long walk through the stadium until we arrived on the field. As we walked, Marina waved at people and even high -fived people who had their hands out. It was a fun experience! She was pleased to note she was the only one dressed as Jyn.

After the parade, we settled into our seats. We had brought peanuts, so Marina was happy to dig into those. The family in front of us had two girls a little younger than Marina, so we talked with them for a bit. We all decided to go together to have pictures taken with Dinger during the third inning.

When we arrived for Dinger, the line was already long. We missed most of the inning, but it was worth it. Dinger wore a Jedi robe and he was accompanied by cosplayers dressed as Rey and Captain Phasma.

We picked up a snack on our way back to our seats and settled in for the game. It was a fun one to watch. The Rockies ended up winning 7-3.

Princesses on Parade

Since it is July 4, Marina dressed patriotically. She chose a sparkly blue tank top and a sparkly red skirt. She wore long white socks and topped it all off with a sequined tiara in red, white and blue

We went to a neighborhood parade. Our favorite princesses have their storefront there and we knew they would be a part of the parade. We arrived early and were able to find a good parking place. We also managed to sit under the shade of a tree until the parade began.

We moved closer to the street when the parade got started. We ended up sitting by two girls who we had met at the Mermaid Meet and Greet on Friday. The girls all got along nicely. Throughout the parade they shared the candy thrown their direction and Marina even let one of them use her parasol.
A little more than halfway through the parade, the Wands and Wishes princesses came by. Anna spotted Marina and greeted her with a warm hug. Of course, all the other girls wanted hugs after that!

Once the parade was over, I got Marina a watermelon popsicle and we walked through the small fair they had set up. In front of the princesses location were the characters from the parade. We met up with Moana, Jasmine, Ariel and Anna, who spent a while talking with Marina. She made a wish with Tinkerbell and Peter Pan. Then we got photos with Captain America and Wonder Woman.

 

St. Patrick's Day Parade

A few years ago, we went with Miss Judy to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade downtown. Judy wanted to go again this year and the weather was beautiful, so it seemed like a great idea. Marina wore her shamrock t-shirt and a pink and green skirt with green leggings. She didn’t want to wear her new “Irish Princess” tiara. Instead she chose a headband with sparkling clovers on it.

We picked Miss Judy up early and drove to the light rail station. Along the way we saw plenty of people dressed in green. It was easy to follow them to the parade.

By the time we arrived, the parade had already started. It was pretty crowded, but we quickly found a spot to watch. Marina realized that the kids in the front were getting candy and other fun items, so she asked if she could get up there too. She couldn’t directly go from where we were and I was concerned about her going where I couldn’t see her. She agreed to stay where she could see me. It took her a few minutes to weave through the crowd and every little while she made eye contact with me and gave me a thumbs up. It wasn’t long before she was right by the barrier in front of us. After a little while the crowd loosened up and Judy and I were able to set up the chairs she brought with her.

Marina did very well collecting treasures over the course of the parade. She had pockets full of candy (she had to empty them a couple of times), many necklaces (most of them green), an orange ball and several stickers.

As we watched the parade, we were approached by a family we knew from earlier this year. We met them at the Mickey’s Magic Door show in January. They recognized us and since we had room where we were, they joined us for the parade. 

The parade was really long. We were tired but we waited for the end since it was so close. By then we were exhausted. We found a place for lunch. Marina surprised me by ordering Buffalo wings without the sauce. She not only enjoyed them, but she ate the vegetables they came with.

After we ate we all felt better. The crowds had also dissipated. We were able to catch our train quickly and head back home.We spent the rest of the day relaxing.

Fairy Farewell

Today was our last at Disney World for this trip. Naturally, we spent it at the Magic Kingdom, Marina’s favorite park. Today Marina dressed in her Tinkerbell costume. So we knew we’d be seeing her today.

Once we arrived at the Magic Kingdom, we went to Liberty Square where we had our favorite breakfast, Mickey waffles. We walked around Cinderella’s Castle to Fantasyland. We rode the rides Marina loves there. Marina wanted to move on to Adventureland. On our way we met the Fairy Godmother and Peter Pan. We rode Aladdin’s Magic Carpets, the Jungle Cruise and caught the Enchanted Tiki Room show which had just opened after being refurbished.

I wanted to watch Captain Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Tutorial. Marina was hesitant, but she enjoyed the show once it started. During the show, he picked four children to train in sword fighting. He chose Marina, but she didn’t want to go. So he picked someone else. Later on, he chose more kids to come up to take the pirate oath. He asked Marina, “Are you ready now?” She was happy to go on stage then. She took the oath and got a certificate declaring her a “Pirate Apprentice.” She was quite pleased with that. Once that was over, we stayed in the area and met Angelica, the pirate who said she could train Marina better than Captain Jack. We wanted to ride The Pirates of the Caribbean, but it wasn’t working at that time.

We went back into Fantasyland where we took a final ride on Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh and the Carousel. We went over to Tomorrowland. Marina was still so funny on the Motor Speedway. She yelled at the cars ahead of us, making me think I was in rush hour back home! We rode the Buzz Lightyear ride and even got to meet him. We went back to Adventureland for more rides and we finally got to see Tinkerbell. She had Rosetta with her this time.

We watched the Main Street Electrical Parade one last time and then went to the Theater to say goodbye to Mickey, Minnie and the Princesses. We had hope to have an early evening, but seeing the Princesses took longer than we expected and we ended up staying well after the fireworks. It took quite a while to get back to the hotel. I think we’re both ready to go home now.

Princess in the Animal Kingdom

We met with Grandma and Grandpa to have breakfast this morning. We went to IHOP, one of Marina’s favorites. Once we’d eaten, we waited for the shuttle to take us to Animal Kingdom. Marina dressed as Princess Tiana today. All day, she was greeted as a princess. Some of the cast members even expressed surprise, such as “Your Highness, we didn’t know you would be here today!”

We headed right for the Kilmanjaro Safari in Africa. The line wasn’t long and we all loved it. We got a good look at ostriches today as well as elephants, hippos, wildebeests and giraffes.

We looked around Africa for a short while before heading over to Asia. I’m not sure how, but her grandparents talked Marina into trying the Expedition Everest roller coaster. It was quite a thrilling ride. Marina’s reaction was the same as the Kali River Rapids, “I hated it!”

We went to Dinoland USA and rode the Triceratop Spin (sort of like Dumbo) and Dinosaur (which both Marina and I didn’t like, but Grandma and Grandpa loved it!). We stopped for lunch, watched Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade, then saw the 3D show, ”It’s Tough To Be A Bug!” I thought it might be a bit too much for Marina, but she loved it! It started to rain, so we quickly ducked into Finding Nemo – the Musical. It was as good as we remembered it.

Once that show was over, we walked across the park to Camp Minnie-Mickey. We saw the Festival of the Lion King, which was fun. Then we met a whole bunch of characters as the park closed. We saw Mickey, Minnie and Daisy Duck in their safari gear as well as Terk from Tarzan.


At that point, the Animal Kingdom was closed for the day. Marina and I went over to the Magic kingdom to see Princess Tiana. We had dinner in Liberty Square before getting into line. She was pretty popular that evening, but we enjoyed talking with the attendant and Photo Pass photographer while we waited. The photographer even pulled her aside and took a few pictures, including a “magic shot” of her kissing a frog!

Marina and I were tired, so we headed out. But not before taking a moment to see the princesses at the Main Street Theater. We saw Sleeping Beauty, Belle and Cinderella before going back to the hotel.

Snow White Adventure

After discovering the Snow White ride, Marina decided to dress as Snow White today. I thought that would be an easy character visit for us, Snow White had been appearing next to City Hall all week. But, as it turned out, she was not appearing in the Magic Kingdom that day. That was disappointing. The Move It, Shake It parade was going on as we walked into the park, so we stopped to watch it for a while. Then we went to Liberty Square for Mickey Mouse waffles.

We did our usual trip through Fantasyland. Naturally, we went on Snow White’s Scary Adventures, plus all her favorites – Mickey’s Philharmagic, the Carousel and It’s a Small World. We also caught most of the Dream Along with Mickey Castle Show. We did a meet and greet with Mickey and Minnie before taking a trip to EPCOT.

Since Snow White was not in the Magic Kingdom, we went to EPCOT to see her. We took the Monorail to EPCOT and then the ferry to Germany. We made a quick stop to see Duffy, the Bear, a new arrival since our last visit. When we got to the German Pavillion, Snow White wasn't at her spot yet. So we had bratwurst and frankfurters for lunch. Very German! Once we were done eating, we found Snow White and had Marina’s picture taken with her. We stopped in Italy for sorbet, then headed back to the Magic Kingdom.

Marina wanted to try Pirates of the Caribbean this time, last year she didn’t even want to get near it. She was not only not scared, but she liked it! (Perhaps the pirate exhibit we saw earlier this year changed her mind about pirates.) We went to Tomorrowland for Buzz Lightyear. We also gave the People Mover and Carousel of Progress a try.

We did our usual visit with the princesses in the Theater before we left. Marina visited with Sleeping Beauty, Belle and Cinderella. She didn’t want to stay for fireworks, but we were able to see them from the ferry. That did get us back to the hotel a bit earlier than usual.

Tangled up in the Magic at the Kingdom

After a day at EPCOT, Marina was ready for another day the Magic Kingdom. Today, she dressed as Rapunzel. Shortly after we arrived, we saw the "Move It, Shake It" parade. This year Marina has been more interested in the parades, so we stopped to watch it.

We decided to meet Rapunzel early to get it out of the way. The lines for her are always long. Marina was quite excited to talk to her. She also grilled her on the absence of Flynn Rider. Poor Rapunzel looked a bit uncomfortable.

We headed into Fantasyland to ride Marina's favorites, Prince Charming's Carousel, It's A Small World, Winnie the Pooh. She even agreed to try Snow White's Scary Adventures - and learned it wasn't so scary after all!

Next we went to Adventureland. We rode the Magic Carpets of Aladdin and the Jungle Cruise. We also went over to meet Jasmine - Aladdin was not with her today. Once we'd finished with that, the Celebrate A Dream Come True parade had started. We got a great spot for that because a ton of characters came over to see Marina.

We went back to Adventureland and met Tinkerbell and Vidia, the wind fairy. This was our first time meeting her. Not the nicest fairy ever, but we already knew that.

Tomorrowland was our next stop. Marina loves the Tomorrowland Motor Speedway. I pressed down the gas pedal and Marina steered. The whole way, she shouted "Let's go, people!" to the cars in from of her. We rode the Buzz Lightyear ride and went to the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. This time, Marina was featured onscreen during a "Parade of Princesses."

We went through the Theater to see the Princesses again. Today we met Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine and Cinderella. Then we settled into a spot along Main Street for the Electrical Parade and fireworks. It has been another fun filled day!

Part of Your World - Disney World, that is!

After a restful night in the hotel, we headed out to the Magic Kingdom for the day. Marina dressed as Ariel today. Christina wore her Rapunzel costume and Leisa was Sleeping Beauty. It was exciting to be back at Disney World!

We met Mary Poppins on the way in. Then we went over to Fantasyland where we took advantage of short lines. The girls all wanted to sit together. We rode nearly every ride in Fantasyland - including Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, It's a Small World and Dumbo. At that point, it was time to say goodbye to Linda, Christina and Leisa. They were off to meet their grandmother while Marina and I went off to have lunch.

We had reservations for lunch at Cinderella's Castle - exactly one year after our first visit there. We had a lovely meal and got to meet Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Ariel and Belle.

After lunch, we headed over to Adventureland. We rode the Magic Carpets of Aladdin and the Jungle Cruise. Marina met with Ariel and Prince Eric there as well. We watched the Celebrate A Dream Come True parade, where Ariel excited waved at Marina, and the Dream Along With Mickey castle show. We also met with Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen.

After that, we walked over to Tomorrowland. We rode the Tomorrowland Motor Speedway, the Buzz Lightyear ride and saw the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor show. During the show, Marty Wizowski had a few princess jokes. He asked for a kid to help him. Suddenly, Marina was on the screen. He asked her name and called her "Princess Marina." She loved doing that!

We watched the Main Street Electrical Parade before going into the Main Street Theater to meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse as well as three princesses - Sleeping Beauty, Belle and Cinderella. Marina never gets tired of talking with princesses. We don't get much of an opportunity at home, so we're doing that while we can.

Our day ended with the Wishes fireworks show. I'm amazed at how long we spent at the park today. But it was fun!