Of the two girls, Riley is the brave one with the characters. From the beginning, she was the first to run up to each character and give them a big hug. We visited to Goofy's Kitchen last year and thought the intimate, personal way the characters interact with the kids would be fun for both. Though Riley had a blast, Addy was frightened by them. Later that year, we also visited Minnie and her friends at the Plaza Restaurant and we had to ask the Cast Members for one of the famous "Red Balloons" which signifies to the characters that there may be a shy one at the table. The characters will keep a safe distance between themselves and the table so the child is not frightened.
Riley and Addison are fraternal twins, so the differences in them genetically are the same as any two siblings regardless of age difference. However, as twins, they are pretty much raised side-by-side, so you would think one would follow the other's lead on something like whether or not the Disney Characters represent an actual threat. But each twin makes her own decisions regarding such things. Riley literally threw herself at the characters from the beginning. Addy has warmed up character by character with "Face" characters holding a commanding lead over the "Furrs".
This time, Riley was her usual self and gave all characters big hugs. Addy had hugged her first character last trip with Tinkerbell which she bragged about for months. This trip she actually hugged a "Furr" at Goofy's Kitchen. The lucky ambassador was Dale! He even wrote in her book, "Thanks for being so brave!" Other characters such as Aladdin got big hugs from Addy and Riley both and the breakfast was a great success mostly because it didn't end in tears for Addison! This time Rafiki from Lion King threatened to derail her, but she regained her composure and even gave him a high five. All characters signed their autograph books.
Linda was not feeling well and stayed in the room. Good thing we took plenty of pictures. Plus, we brought her back a cupcake (Yes, I got the "Birthday Song"!).
All Smiles Until the Ride Got Started. Then Terror!
They all also went on It's a Small World and Nemo's Submarine ride before Linda and I met up with them. We had taken a bit of a rest in the hotel before taking over the girls again. This let Amy, Jon and Keanu ride some more adult rides.
After Fantasmic!, Linda and I took the girls back to our hotel to sleep. Our plans for the next day were to get up early, enjoy some "early entry" time and meet with Tinkerbell! Check in to see how that turned out!
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