It was an amazing week and a half but, alas, the honeymoon is now–quite literally–over.  We enjoyed six fun-filled days at Walt Disney World and Universal/Islands of Adventure, followed by four decadent days aboard the Disney Dream for a cruise to the Bahamas. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is every bit amazing as people have said. I actually enjoyed the pumpkin juice more than the butterbeer and the Forbidden Journey ride only gets better with each successive ride (we went three times).

We hit all four Disney parks (some multiple times) and enjoyed every minute. (Tip: If you go to Hollywood Studios, the Toy Story Midway Mania ride is a must. Go first thing in the morning when they open, ride it once, then get a Fast Pass to come back later.)

Apart from being thoroughly entertained for the duration of our sojourn, we also had a chance to be educated and get schooled on bits of Magic Kingdom minutiae and trivia.  Thus I present….

Little known facts about Walt Disney World:

–“Where dreams come true” was actually the second choice for a slogan.  The first choice–“Terrible parenting on parade”–was nixed when someone pointed out that too much truth in advertising could be detrimental.

–If the Disney bus driver pulls into the parking lot and says, “Welcome to the most magical place on earth” and you reply, “We’re at Hogwarts?”, you will be met at the gate by a legion of truncheon-bearing costume characters and bludgeoned in time to “It’s a Small World.”

–Six out of seven Dwarves aren’t happy.