Okay, I admit it. I love Disney. As much as I’ve previously thought it was ridiculous for adults to love Disney, I’m now one of them. And after our recent hurricane evacuation to Orlando/Disney, I think I figured out why (in a rather well, duh moment).

It’s a fantasy. A complete fantasy. Nothing is real, and everything is manufactured to be practically perfect in every way. And in today’s flawed, exhausting, and often depressing world, it’s an escape.

Let me walk down the most perfect Main Street ever where people are selling balloons, Mickey ears, and Pineapple Dole Whips, and where giant furry characters regularly parade about (and have dance parties). Let me go around the world in an afternoon, and eat school bread, sushi, and crepes, and wash it all down with vodka slushies and German beer. Even standing in line for all the good rides is far better than dealing with the struggles of day-to-day life - at least for a day or two.

We all need an escape sometimes. And while I certainly don’t think every vacation we take needs to be a Disney one, I still enjoy going there, especially since it’s pretty close to where we live and a fairly easy trip, even for just a weekend. And apparently, a viable option for hurricane evacuations depending on their course.

We fit a lot into our time there, including Typhoon Lagoon, Disney Springs, Animal Kingdom, and Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom. Plus we visited with friends who live in the Orlando area, I enjoyed some different running views, and we saw some pretty spectacular sunsets.

So here it is, our most recent impromptu trip to the happiest place on earth, in photos:

Around Orlando

Disney Springs

No trip to Disney is complete without a visit to Disney Springs. We always check out Curl Surf Shop and I want to buy all the things, and then we head to World of Disney, where B wants to buy all the things. B also loves riding the carousel and little train.

Animal Kingdom

This was my first time in Animal Kingdom. It looked like there were some pretty fun rides there, but B isn’t really into many rides yet (sadly), so we skipped out on most of them. He did, however, love the safari!

Magic Kindom/Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

This was by far the highlight of the trip! I’m generally not a Magic Kingdom fan and literally a week before I was telling someone I didn’t care if I never saw the Magic Kingdom again. It’s still my least favorite of all the parks (mostly because it’s just so crowded), but this was so fun! And I think I want to go back next year and be better prepared for it. So yeah, I guess I’ll be seeing the Magic Kingdom again.

Just like during the November and December holidays, the Magic Kingdom gets all decked out for Halloween. Plus there’s delicious food, a parade, and fireworks. And there a lot of characters out who you normally don’t see.