Disclaimer! This will be the longest of all my posts about Disney, so bare with me.
Day 1 & 7 were spent in Magic Kingdom and I don't know about anyone else but we could have used another day there. We had FP (fastpass) for many of the major rides but we still struggled to cover it all in two days with kids. Here are the highlights from our two days. (sorry it's a bit long)
1. Dinner at Cinderellas Castle
Warning this is a very expensive experience, like $100/person!!!! Was it worth it? Hmmm. I am going to say yes but mainly because my girls want to get pictures and autographs from the princesses and line-ups for that are long. This experience eliminated us having to track these individual princesses down and stand in-line. At dinner we were able to meet Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, Ariel & Jasmine . I guess the one little let-down would be that we felt very rushed with Cinderella and the picture below of our family is the best one on my Photopass, meaning that a "professional" photographer took it. The other princesses took much more time with the girls and actually spoke to them, whereas with Cinderella I felt like they were herding us like cows. Oh well. Also being in the castle is a really neat feeling, and it's a glorious space. The food was EXCEPTIONAL and they took care of Halie and I, with Celiac, so well. Actually this was apparent in every restaurant or walk-up restaurant we went to. The chef came out in each place we ate and took our order and had them prepared separately; my mind was actually blown by the level of service we received. Overall it was a lovely experience and I recommend doing some sort of character dining while in Disney.
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2. Rides and Experiences
We started off strong and hit Splash Mountain and....Railroad right off the bat. Everyone enjoyed them, even Anya wasn't too scared, and it was a great way to introduce my parents to the ride portion of Disney. We did eventually stand in line for the newest ride, The Seven Dwarfs, but you guys I would not recommend waiting more than 45 minutes for it. :) Halie really wanted to do Space Mountain, she did it at Disneyland, but we didn't have a FP and just simply ran out of time.
OPS! Anya did it again!!!!
Right after we got off the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Anya was so excited that she accomplished this first "scary" ride and was running on the pavement and BAM! She tripped over her own two feet and flew face first into the pavement. She reopened a skinned knee wound, skinned the good knee and got nasty road rash on her little shoulder. There was blood, screaming, crying and Anya saying over and over again,
"Why does this always happen to me? I am such an idiot!" Poor little one, it's true she is constantly having nasty spills. We cleaned her up and she was good to go.
As for experiences, if you have little ones that love Beauty and the Beast, go see Enchanted Tales with Belle. They incorporate all the little ones into the story time and they get to meet Belle (no autographs but there is a photographer on site though the pictures are really hit and miss).
3. Favorite Characters
Our favorite characters that we ran into were Aladin and Jasmine. They were so funny and interactive with the kids. The asked lots of questions, teased them and took their time with them.
Once again Peter Pan didn't disappoint and was super silly, just like a hyper little kid.
We did the FP to meet Repunzel and Princess Tianna (who was AMAZING).
I know my mom certainly enjoyed meeting all the characters, that was definitely a new experience for her.
4. Fireworks
I am so glad that we went back to enjoy this magical spectacular that is offered at Magic Kingdom. I am not going to lie, we were tempted to skip it as the kids were tired, but we took them back to the hotel earlier and had some downtime and then returned to the park. BEST IDEA EVER. They were just so much happier once the sun was down, they were loving each other, running around and perfectly well behaved. There are actually two shows in the evening, the firework show, Happily Ever After, and fifteen or so minutes afterwards started an illuminations show that was just as mesmerizing. Also, it's the perfect time to rush into the Ice Cream Parlor to grab a night time snack.
5. Date time parade
It's hard to fit it all in but another must see for all ages is the 3 p.m. parade. We parked ourselves 15 minutes before the parade started in Frontierland and honestly you just can't choose a favorite float. It blows your mind the time, energy, creativity and enthusiasm that goes into this 20 minute performance. It is worth taking a break, sitting down with a cool treat and being mesmerized by all of your classic Disney favorites.
Sorry for the length and picture heavy post but it's hard to narrow down the magic that we experienced. these memories will be with us for a lifetime and for that I am so beyond thankful. Stay tuned for the recap of the other parks and the spectacular Harry Potter experience.
I loved seeing your pictures while you were away- someday I will do that trip. But I can't wait for your Harry Potter tales!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHarry Potter was my favorite part probably because it was a completely new experience and we LOVE Harry Potter. When Anya got into it last year it was beyond thrilling for me to have someone share in the obsession with me.
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