Happy 40th Birthday from Mickey Mouse

In October 2007 I had a special birthday to celebrate. I was about to turn 40. What did I want for my 40th birthday my wife asked? My reply, have dinner with Mickey Mouse. After all I was still a big kid at heart. I also have an 8 year old daughter and I had planned to take her to Disney once she was big enough to go on the rides with her dad. So it was agreed, and I booked a party of 8 people to go to Florida for 3 weeks.

Before going we sat down and planned where we go each day. I believe this is a very important part of the holiday, as one, it gets you all excited, and two, it helps to make sure you see as much as possible.

We arrived in Orlando Saturday evening, and had planned that Sunday would be a day of rest. We checked out the hotel and surrounding area, and had a day of relaxation before hitting the parks on Monday. The first place to visit had to be The Magic Kingdom. I can still remember the feeling as I walked up Main Street. The castle was in front of us and Mickey and Minnie were singing and dancing outside of it. Every hair stood up on my neck as I held my daughter in my arms so that she could get a better view. Afterwards we toured the park, played on the rides, watched the shows and had a magical first day. Over the course of the next week we visited Blizzard Beach, where I dared to go down Summit Plummet - a 120 foot almost vertical water slide. Next stop was Epcot, home to Nemo and his friend Crush and also where they hold a nightly fireworks and laser show. We went to Tampa to visit Busch Gardens, which houses some of the biggest white knuckle rides in Florida, and went back to the movies at Universal Studios. Also at Universal is City Walk which is their night time entertainment area. It has a real buzz as the sun goes down, with many different bars, restaurants, and shows to see.

By now my birthday was fast approaching. Today I was 40. Today’s the day we have dinner at Chef Mickey’s in The Magic Kingdom. We spent another day in the park doing all the things we hadn’t had time to do previously, then, at around 6pm we made our way to The Contemporary Resort, where the restaurant is situated. What can I say, the best birthday ever . We all had a fantastic meal, but to meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto was the best thing ever. The kids’ faces lit up as one by one each character came to our table for photo’s and autographs. For two hours we had the pleasure of these characters at my birthday celebrations. A hard act to follow, but day after day we had the time of our lives. We watched the night time parade in the Magic Kingdom followed by the firework display, visited the Animal Kingdom where we went on safari and climbed Mount Everest in search of the Yeti. I went back in time at Disney Studios, at the Hollywood Tower of Terror, a fantastic ride, and finished the day off by watching Fantasmic. I stood trembling in The Bomb, a capsule that drops you at random, vertically down a water slide at Wet and Wild. This was the scariest moment of my holiday. Back on dry land we went to Universal Islands of Adventure, home to Duelling Dragons, a twin track rollercoaster where you race each other. You have to be in the front seat of this ride to experience it properly. Next it was off to Seaworld to see Shamu, the famous killer whale in his show, Believe. Yet another great day with dolphins, seals, and more rides to keep the heart racing. Back in the water again and it’s off to Typoon Lagoon, home to Crush and Gusher, a water rollercoaster where you are blasted around whilst sitting in a tube, great fun for all the family.

All in all it was 3 weeks of pure fun. Everyone had a great time and I believe everyone should experience it at least once in their lifetime. I’ve been twice now and my daughter says she wants to go again. I know I’m not going to stop her, as long as I get to go as well.