We woke up bright and early so we could arrive at the Magic Kingdom as soon as it opened at 8:00AM. Keep in mind that this is eastern time. We're used to central time. So it was really 7:00AM for us. Let's just say this trip wasn't one in which we could "sleep in."
The last time we were at Disney, Hannah Kate always called the Magic Kingdom "the kingdom." It was so cute! So after spending our first day at Disney at Hollywood Studios, we made sure "the kingdom" was our second stop! As soon as we got to the ferry landing to take the boat over and could see the top of the castle, Ellie got all excited. It was obvious THIS was the Disney she was expecting.
It was a full, fun day. But we were all pretty tired.
Up next . . . Epcot!
The last time we were at Disney, Hannah Kate always called the Magic Kingdom "the kingdom." It was so cute! So after spending our first day at Disney at Hollywood Studios, we made sure "the kingdom" was our second stop! As soon as we got to the ferry landing to take the boat over and could see the top of the castle, Ellie got all excited. It was obvious THIS was the Disney she was expecting.
I tried and tried, but I wasn't able to get Fast Passes for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride. It was under construction on our last trip, and even though it opened two years ago, it's still one of the most popular rides with the longest wait time. Since we arrived when the park opened, we headed straight for Fantasyland to see if we could go ahead and hop in line before it got too ridiculously long. On our way, the kids insisted we stop and ride the cups. This ride was closed on our last trip. So we did. And they loved. it!! Apparently, I did, too.
The wait for the Mine Train was "only" 45 minutes. The kids insisted we get in line. So we did. There were lots of things to do and lots of things to look at while we waited so it really wasn't too bad. In the meantime, here's the girls' shirts:
There are two per car on the Mine Train. I rode with Ellie. Y'all. This girl smiled and laughed the whole entire time! There were some sharp turns and mild drops, but she loved every second of it. Mason and Hannah Kate rode together. I turned around a couple of times to check on them. Mason, of course, had his hands in the air the whole time. Hannah Kate started out with her hands in the air, but that didn't last long. By the end of the ride, she was absolutely terrified. But don't tell her I told you that! I honestly loved this ride, and it was totally worth it for us to wait those 45 minutes. We were hoping to ride again, but the lines were just too long.
All Mason wanted to do was ride Splash Mountain. I mean, he would seriously ride that over and over and over again all. day. long. So that's where we went next. I am not a fan of the drop at the end so I was just fine sitting out with Hannah Kate. We showed the ride to Ellie, and she said she wanted to go. So she, Mason and Seth went. Hannah Kate and I waited on the bridge overlooking the ride. (Her request this day was double Dutch braids.)
It was easy to spot which log they were in because Mason's lime green shirt was practically glowing. They are on the very back row.
Once they came down and around, Mason's shirt wasn't the only thing glowing. His smile was, too, as was Ellie's! I couldn't believe it. I should've known better. She literally has no fear.
The boys went to ride it again while the girls went to meet Cinderella and a "visiting princess." I mean, Ellie is obviously in her element here. Seth said her shirt was wrong . . . it should've said 100%!
So let's talk about this "visiting princess" for a minute. I had no idea who it was going to be. I was expecting Aurora or Snow White to be honest. But it was a beautiful, dark haired princess in a red gown.
Are you confused? I was confused. As we walked out, Hannah Kate looked at me and said, "Who was that?" The best answer I could come up with was Belle. But we both agreed that Belle did NOT wear a red dress. Her dress is yellow. I really felt like I should know the answer to this, and because I didn't want to look ridiculous, I didn't ask. Anyway, we were confused for the next two days. Until we were shopping in the Disney store, and I noticed this:
It took me a minute, but then I realized this is the new show on Disney Channel. I don't know that we've ever seen it, but I've noticed it when we scroll through the guide. So the "visiting princess" was Elena.
We actually ate lunch in the park on this day. We've never done any of the character meals because I just really don't want to pay for those, particularly when at least two of my people could care less. But one of the restaurants I've always had my sights set on is Be Our Guest. That's the restaurant in the beast's castle. I tried for three months to get reservations for a party of five, but I never could. But guess what happened the day the hurricane hit? I got a lunch reservation for a party of five at Be Our Guest! I was so excited!
So, look, this meal was just for me. My people didn't really appreciate it very much. Especially my husband and my son. But I loved every. second. of. it. (Except the complaining.) My veggie quiche and salad were yummy and something I'd definitely get again! I'd heard so much about the "gray stuff" so I also ordered two cupcakes for us to share. Now these were a big hit!
The restaurant was beautiful and exactly like I imagine the beast's castle should be and would be.
Our first ride after lunch was Dumbo. Look. I lost count of how many times we rode Dumbo over the course of our three days at the Magic Kingdom. But let's just say I'll be just fine if I never ride Dumbo again!
Ellie, of course, remembers absolutely NOTHING about our last trip to Disney because she was only nine months old. When the big kids would talk about their favorite rides and what they wanted to ride this time around, Ellie would always try to join the conversation. I did ride several rides with her as a baby, one of which was Dumbo. And we have a picture of that.
So all Ellie has talked about was riding Dumbo. She feels about Dumbo the way Mason feels about Splash Mountain. She thought she was something else with that joystick making Dumbo fly up and down.
I also feel about Magic Carpets of Aladdin the way I feel about Dumbo! Because besides Dumbo, that was the other ride Ellie begged for over and over. It makes me dizzy just thinking about it.
Seth took the big kids to ride the Haunted Mansion. Ellie said she didn't want to ride so I took her for a stroll. I've had three strollers during the past eleven years, but I currently don't have any of them. I don't remember giving away the last one, but obviously I did. I have no idea who I even gave it to! My sweet friend was so kind to let me borrow her stroller for our trip, and it was definitely a lifesaver. (I have to be honest. Even when Ellie is able to manage Disney without a stroller, I'll still be taking one anyway to haul our coolers and such!) Anyway, we were just in time to see the Friendship Faire show in front of the castle. It featured Elsa and Anna, and, of course, Let It Go. We saw it several times during our trip, and I have to say I never tired of it.
After the show, we strolled around a bit more. And Ellie fell asleep. It's tough being a princess!
We met back up with Seth and the big kids and decided to make our way out of the park. It was late afternoon by this time. The Not So Scary Halloween Party was scheduled for this night so they weren't having the Wishes fireworks show. You have to have an extra ticket on top of your regular admission ticket for the Halloween party, which we didn't do. So the park was getting ready to close for us anyway.
Even though we had that delicious lunch at Be Our Guest, my people insisted on stopping for Mexican on the way home. That was fine with me, too! The kids even got some of the best balloon animals I've ever seen out of the deal. (Notice the bubbles coming up from Ellie's fish. And Hannah Kate has the fanciest flamingo I've ever seen; he even has legs, but you can't see them in this picture.)
Up next . . . Epcot!