We have to go back.

One of my friends texted me on our first day there and told me to take it easy. To not cram too much in, especially on the first day. We were exhausted, overheated, and basically teetering on the edge of miserable. I took her advice seriously that day and throughout the rest of the trip: when it felt like we weren’t having fun anymore it was time to go.

So, we spent a lot of time at our hotel.

Fortunately the hotel was lovely (because Disney, man!) and cooling off while having a snack and a rest was really good for all of us. Alex actually went to bed before eight on our first night there, and I struggled to figure out how to take pictures of the fireworks across the way. We enjoyed the air conditioning, the balcony, and the peace and quiet that getting away offered us.

Taking it easy was amazing advice. We didn’t push to ride everything, we weren’t stressed trying to fit in every show, and we let ourselves skip some fast passes if it meant more happiness. Because of that, though:

We have to go back.

There is so much we didn’t see. There are rides we didn’t ride, shows we didn’t see, and we barely even scratched the surface of characters. We didn’t do anything in Epcot other than eat, skipped out on all tours and scavengers hunts, and I didn’t even get to try Dole Whip.

In all of the times people have said Disney is great, I just kind of brushed them off. Sure it is.

But it really, actually, truly, is great. They weren’t lying. They weren’t exaggerating. And there is so much to do.

I hope we can go back some day.