Disney World & Waco, Texas!

April 28 - May 6, 2018

The Patterson Family went to Disney World! A big thank you to Chad's parents for taking us and his sister's for helping to plan it! They did such an amazing job planning for all 17 of us. We were able to experience so much together, and while the younger ones did smaller rides or shows the older ones could break off to ride the bigger rides. We spent a day at Animal Kingdom, a day at Magic Kingdom, a day at the Beach Club Resort pool, and the last full day split between Epcot and Hollywood Studios. We are so thankful we got to go to Disney as a family, it was an amazing experience, and one we won't forget! (All photos below were taken with an iPhone or by Disney as we decided to leave the DSLR at home so we could fully enjoy our Disney experience without worrying about keeping up with a camera.)

Even though our trip to Disney had come to an end, we weren't heading home just yet. We headed directly to Waco, Texas, from Disney to run in the inaugural Silos District Race. Since this was our second time to Waco, our top priority this trip, besides running the race Sunday, was to eat at Magnolia Table, which had just opened two months earlier. We had heard there were still long lines to get in, but that wasn't going to stop us, we already had practice standing in lines at Disney. An hour and a half wait, with part of that just waiting in line to get our name on the list, wasn't so bad, especially with the take away and market where we ordered the best warm streusel blueberry muffin and iced coffee to hold us over. The food was worth the wait! We ordered the french toast breakfast and avocado toast. To top off our time here, we got to meet Joanna's mom, who is one of the kindest people, and she signed our cookbook! The next morning we were up bright and early to head over for our race. I was running the half marathon, and Chad was running the 5K. It was a fun experience, and we even got to see Chip cross the finish line, and the rest of the family join him in celebration!

Itinerary:

Day 1- Arrive at Disney World / Hurricane Hanna's Waterside Bar & Grill / Beach Club Pool / Dinner at Boma*

Day 2- Animal Kingdom 8AM / Avatar Flight of Passage / Na'vi RiverJourney* / Lunch at Satu'li Canteen / Safari* / Expedition Everest x 2 / Snack Break / Kali River Rapids / Dinner at Tusker House* / Primeval Whirl / Tree of Life Awakenings

Day 3- Magic Kingdom 9AM / Jungle Cruise* / Swiss Family Treehouse / Pirates of the Caribbean */ Lunch at Columbia Harbour House / Seven Dwarfs Mine Train* / Space Mountain / Festival of Fantasy Parade / Dole Whip / Splash Mountain / Move It! Street Party / Dinner at Pinocchio Village Haus / Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin / Goofy's Candy Company / Happily Ever After Fireworks Show / Haunted Mansion

Day 4- Resort Day / Breakfast at Ohana* / Pool / Hurricane Hanna's Waterside Bar & Grill / Dinner at Cape May Cafe* / Boardwalk / Hot Tub

Day 5- Epcot 8AM/Hollywood Studios / Soarin' / Living with the Land* / The Seas with Nemo & Friends / Test Track / Mission: Space / Frozen Ever After * / Lunch at Tangerine Cafe / Rock "N" Roller Coaster / Tower of Terror / Snack / Star Tours / Lazy River at Beach Club Pool / Dinner at La Cantina de San Angel / Cronut at Refreshment Port / Epcot Fireworks

Day 6- Minnie's Beach Bash Breakfast* / Pool / Checked out / Disney Springs / Lunch at Earl of Sandwich / Flight to Waco / In-N-Out Burger

Day 7- Magnolia Table / Race Bib Pickup / Magnolia Market Silos / Silos Baking Co. / Pool / Drove around to see local flips / Dinner / Waco Suspension Bridge / Drove by race parking

Day 8- Silo District Marathon / Magnolia Market Silos / Silos Baking Co. / Watched Chip cross the finish line / In-N-Out Burger / Drive to the Airport / Dinner / Flight Home

*We had reservations for these meals/ Fast Passes for these rides.

A few other notes:

-This itinerary includes the rides we did, but not all the rides the others did when we would split up to do adult ride and kid rides.

-We had a dining plan which included one sit down meal, one quick service meal, and two snacks each day.

-We would recommend any of the places we ate at while at Disney. The list below is just our top picks.

Food Recommendations:

Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge (Orlando, FL)

Minnie's Beach Bash Breakfast (Orlando, FL)

Magnolia Table (Waco, TX)

Silos Baking Co. (Waco, TX)

In-N-Out Burger (Waco, TX)

Accommodations: