We saved the best park at Disney World for last! Finally, Wednesday was our day to visit the Magic Kingdom!
Photo credit: Disney
Photo credit: Disney
Photo credit: Disney
We were at the gates when the park opened at 9:00 and headed straight to the Haunted Mansion. I remembered it being full of gags and not really scary, but at the last minute Audrey started to freak out and I just told her it would be fine. Well, she was scared to death through the whole ride--and so was Noah! Through the eyes of a five-year-old and an eight-year-old, I guess it was pretty gruesome.
After the Haunted Mansion we rode It's a Small World, which definitely lightened the mood!
Our MagicBands, besides being used as our room key, park ticket, Fastpass, payment method, and PhotoPass, were also used to say goodbye to us by name as we approached the end of the ride.
Photo credit: Alice Bennett Get up! No time for phone calls!
Peter Pan's flight with the Fastpass was next, followed by Under the Sea: Voyage of the Little Mermaid. We also rode the Barnstormer kiddie coaster and, of course, the iconic Dumbo!
Photo credit: Alice Bennett
Photo credit: Alice Bennett
Photo credit: Alice Bennett
Riding the Barnstormer with Pandy, Noah, Chris and Audrey
We had Fastpasses for the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, which was one of the group favorites! In the video, you'll see the dwarfs working--those are actually part of the ride!
Notice the design of the cars--they sway back and forth as they travel over the tracks, making for a smooth and exhilarating ride!
After riding the coaster, we saw Mickey's PhilharMagic (an indoor theater show) and then headed to lunch at Columbia Harbour House. After polishing off some lunch, Noah and I headed downstairs to order dessert and just happened to run into the right Cast Member who surprised us with two free desserts! Noah ordered Boston cream pie while Mom and I shared an apple crisp. Yum!
After lunch, we watched the classic Country Bear Jamboree in Frontierland. My expectations were low but this was quite hilarious!
We really wanted to explore Tom Sawyer Island but it was unfortunately closed due to hurricane damage from Irma.
Photo credit: Alice Bennett
Then again, once Noah saw the alligator warning signs, he probably would have refused to cross the water on a raft.
Photo credit: Alice Bennett
Photo credit: Alice Bennett
We hopped on the Liberty Square Riverboat for a slooooow tour of the Magic Kingdom waterway.
Rapunzel's Tower
Of course, there is something for everyone at Disney World.
Our last advance Fastpass was for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, a fast and fun roller coaster.
Break time! We headed back on the shuttle bus to the hotel for a quick swim and a good, long nap!
We all agreed that Noah carries on the true Redman trait of never meeting a stranger. He talked to all kinds of people on our bus rides and also smiled at babies, like here.
Audrey wasn't quite done with her nap.
We came back for dinner at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe, which has an excellent toppings bar.
We also visited the Enchanted Tiki Room, mainly to replace the earworm "It's a Small World" in our brains with "The Tiki Room" song.
Photo credit: Alice Bennett Altogether!
In the tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki room
In the tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki room
All the birds sing words
And the flowers croon
In the tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki room!
On my app, I managed to nab a fourth Fastpass for the Jungle Cruise, a hilarious guided boat ride with lots of corny jokes and dry humor. One of my favorites!
Noah also did some pin trading with another kid who just happened to stop him and ask if he was interested in trading. So fun!
When it was time for the Happily Ever After fireworks show, we staked out a spot behind the castle that turned out to be so-so.
The view from the back of the castle!
After the fireworks, though, I knew another show was coming, Once Upon A Time. This one required a good viewing spot in front of the castle to see the projections on the front of Cinderella's castle.
We staked out a good spot and waited, and we were not disappointed!
Photo credit: Disney
Photo credit: Disney
Photo credit: Disney
Photo credit: Disney
Photo credit: Disney
The show exceeded my expectations, the castle coming to life with projections as music and narration played and fireworks highlighted specific moments. This was a must-see!
Drew and Jamie retired for the evening, but six of us powered on, taking advantage of the evening Extra Magic Hours!
We managed to hop on Prince Charming's Regal Carrousel for a spin...
...and the kids did their best to pull the sword out of the stone, to no avail.
The last stop for Audrey had to be Ariel's Grotto, where we waited 20 minutes in a stuffy cave...
The things you do for your daughter
...for these magical moments.
While Chris, Nana, Audrey and I stuck it out for Ariel, Pandy and Noah went back to ride the Barnstormer and Dumbo again.
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