10 Things I Can't Wait To Do Again at WDW

Now that I am officially settling into my new freedom and my availability for trips and such, it is really dawning on me that Walt Disney World is just a little over an hour away! Going last Sunday with the Hanbery clan to the Magic Kingdom and to eat at the Kona Cafe was a blast- but that just wet my appetite for so much more that I have been missing. And in many cases, it is literally my appetite, because about half of this list involves food! There are new adventures (New Fantasyland, updated Star Tours, Toy Story Mania, etc.) I have yet to experience for the first time, and those things excite me too. You should also know that I did Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion last week or they would certainly be on this list. But as I gaze into the near future, here are 10 things I cannot wait to do again!

1) Walk Down Main Street After Dark- There are very few things that make me more content than walking down Main Street USA after twilight, with the park all lit up and in its full glory. There is just something about the look, the atmosphere and even the smells that take me back to a simpler place and time in my own life, and remind of how I came to love WDW in the first place. Really looking forward to taking that stroll soon...

2) The Hoop-de-doo Musical Review- I miss the music, the terrible puns, the fried chicken and the strawberry shortcake. Plus, Will has never been since he was old enough to remember it and it is right up his alley. So Pioneer Hall, here we come!

3) The Great Movie Ride- I have so many amazing memories attached to this ride, now 25 years old. We rode it the first summer the Disney/MGM Studios were open. We rode it Will was little, even as he hid from the Alien. We were trapped in the Casablanca scene for almost an hour one time listening to Bogart over and over again. At one point I pretty much had it all memorized. I'm looking forward to a refresher course.

4) Breakfast at The Cape May Cafe- This restaurant located in the lobby of Disney's Beach Club Resort offers an amazing all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet, with everything from great fresh fruit to Mickey waffles. There are characters, including our family favorite, Admiral Goofy. You can drink coffee, OJ and chocolate milk all at the same time. I mean how great is that? There are other good character breakfasts too, but this one will always be my favorite! And I love that I have been able to share it with so many of you!

5) Spaceship Earth- While I confess to never quite getting over them taking out Walter Cronkite as the narrator, there is still something magical about traveling through time inside the giant golf ball that is the symbol of Epcot. I hear they have made changes since I was last there. They'd better be good ones...

6) Ohana's- More food, this time at Disney's Polynesian Resort. Unless it has changed there are great veggies, chocolate fondue and fresh fruit for dessert and other goodies- but mostly, there is meat. Skewers of grilled meat. And it's all-you-can-eat. I have been many times in the past and never been disappointed. I look forward to testing them again.

7) Splash Mountain- I remember watching impatiently as they built it. I remember standing in huge lines in the heat of summer to ride, and riding it over and over again as midnight approached and there were no lines. I remember my first time down the big hill and the rush, the splash and the soaking that were part of it. And still are. I can't wait!

8) The Epcot Christmas Candlelight Processional- I have missed this amazing telling of the birth of Jesus so much, and when December 2014 arrives you can look for me at the American Gardens Theater along with the full orchestra, the mass choir and the celebrity narrator. Maybe I should be the celebrity narrator?!?! Except for not being a celebrity I'm perfect!

9) Night Time Shows & Fireworks- Okay, so this is a cop out, but I can't possibly choose which one I have missed the most. The Main Street Electrical Parade at the MK. Illuminations at Epcot. Fantasmic at the Hollywood Studios. And honestly any other parade or fireworks show they have to offer! I love the parks after dark!

10) The San Angel Inn- This restaurant in the Mexico pavilion at Epcot has been the site of many of a great dinner and celebration with so many friends from over the years. They may have changed the menu, but the amazing atmosphere is still the same. And there is just something wonderfully romantic about eating under the stars at a table overlooking the river- indoors. Now if they would just bring back the chocolate mousse kahlua pie...

I could go on and one. The Safari and Dinosaurs at Animal Kingdom. Norway, Canada, Imagination and Soarin' at Epcot. Muppets & Mama Melrose's at the Studios. The rest of the Magic Kingdom's mountains. But for now, this is a great list to start with. And I look forward to starting soon. Who's going with me?