Not Letting Anxiety Win

 I am at the countdown point now.

3 days.

A few days ago, I asked my mom to come over so I could explain Fastpass+ to her and what that is going to mean for us. I am fairly confident that she gets it for the most part. It IS a confusing process with quite a few rules and stipulations, so I really can't blame her for getting confused at any point next week. My mom is sort of known for wanting to experience every single thing in the park possible. I am still hearing about how we missed Splash Mountain a year and a half ago. To be fair, that is a favorite for both of us, and I do regret missing it. However, it is what it is, and I'm sure on this trip we'll run into that with something.

To sort of eliminate the chance of either of us being disappointed missing one of our favorite things, I asked my mom to make a list of her 3 must-dos for each park. I told her, "Tell me what 3 things, shows or rides, that you would be really crushed if we missed on this trip."

I had made my list up earlier in the day and made sure not to reveal my list to my mom before she made her picks, so as not to sway her decision in any way. Our lists do not reflect our "favorite attractions" at the parks, but rather what we deem priority on this trip for one reason or another.

My List

Magic Kingdom - 1. Enchanted Tales with Belle
                         2. Splash Mountain
                         3. Haunted Mansion

Epcot - 1. Maelstrom
         2. Test Track (I really just have to show it to my mom.)
         3. O'Canada

Hollywood Studios - 1. Tower of Terror
                               2. Star Tours
                               3. The Great Movie Ride

Animal Kingdom - 1. Kilimanjaro Safari
                            2. Flights of Wonder
                            3. Finding Nemo: The Musical

I find it funny that I did not include Carousel of Progress, perhaps my favorite attraction in Magic Kingdom, on my list. I think that's because I have seen it and done it so many times that I can easily say some other things get priority. My favorite attraction at Epcot is also not on my list, Spaceship Earth. Weird. I'm not sure why I was drawn to put Star Tours on my list, but I just felt that I really wanted to do it. Kind of an impulsive pick that I don't want to change. Most people would be surprised that me, the roller coaster enthusiest, does not have a roller coaster on my list. Well, my mom doesn't do coasters at all and I really like to make sure my priority is us doing things together. If I get on some coasters, great. If not, no big deal.

My Mom's List 

Magic Kingdom - 1. Carousel of Progress
                          2. Splash Mountain
                          3. Haunted Mansion

Epcot - 1. Maelstrom
          2. Soarin'
          3. Test Track

Hollywood Studios - 1. Muppet-Vision 3D
                                2. The Great Movie Ride
                                3. Toy Story Mania

Animal Kingdom - 1. Finding Nemo: The Musical
                            2. Kilimanjaro Safari
                            3. Festival of the Lion King

As you can see, my mom and I agree on A LOT of things! That's great! Things that I felt sad to leave off my list, she picked up on her list without knowing what she was doing. The one thing that makes me smack my forehead hard is Festival of the Lion King. I'm in the camp of "if you've seen it 5 times, you don't need to see it for at least 3 years." It's just not my favorite show at Animal Kingdom and it absolutely never changes. It's not a huge production like Finding Nemo (both mom and I's favorite), and it just takes up a lot of time for something I don't get much gratification from. However, I will absolutely 100% make sure we get to do it for my mom.

Just 3 days to go.