Disney Day 2 - Magic Kingdom

Disney Day 2 - Magic Kingdom Let me back up a minute before I give the rundown on our day at the park. The night before, once I got settled into bed and began dreaming about all the fun we were going to have, I kind-of started to panic just a little bit. I kept thinking, "What if we spend ALL this money and all we do is stand in line all day? What if we don't get to see the characters and ride the rides that are top of our list? What if? What if? WHAT IF?" I was driving myself crazy! So, being the calm and cool person that I am (I'm not being sarcastic. I really am calm and cool just like you know me to be...most of the time. But we won't go there.) I decided to make a plan. I spread out my park map and times guide across the bed. I pulled up the Disney site on my iPad and my free Disney apps on my iPhone. And I got to work! I made lists of all the attractions we hoped to see, the characters we wanted to greet, the rides designated as FASTPASS, and a few low dollar/highly nutritious places to eat. I decided we'd start at the back of the park and work our way forward collecting our FASTPASSes when available. Somewhere I read that was a good strategy and I thought it sounded like a good plan, and that night I was a sucker for a plan. Whew! I had a plan. But just when I thought I had it all figured out, I realized I had no idea how to get there, or where to park, or how much time it would take to get there. Once again I was back on the iPad trying to find some good advice on how to navigate straight to a spot in the first row of the parking lot. Not too long after, I stumbled upon a guy that boasted numerous visits to Magic Kingdom and how he had the trick to avoiding a 2 mile trek from parking spot to gate entrance. His advice: park at Epcot (since the parking lot is smaller and less crowded) then jump on the monorail to the Magic Kingdom parking , then get off and hop on another monorail to the entrance of Magic Kingdom. Sounded a little complicated but I decided to go with "the expert". I can't say it was the best advice I received during our trip, but we tried it and it got us there just fine. We did land a prime spot at Epcot...as in, if we were ONE car back we would have started a brand new parking row which would have literally been about 300 meters from the monorail and that translates into about 2 miles at the end of the day. After going through the bag check at Epcot we boarded the first monorail. The kids loved it and I was already snapping pictures of my cute kiddos. We hopped off one rail and headed for the next and we were met by a swarm of preschoolers and their parents all heading the same direction we were. Fortunately, this was one of those lines that even though it looked like it would take an eternity, it actually moved pretty quick. We were on and off fairly quick, went through another bag check, and then scanned our tickets and our fingerprints (What? You want my fingerprint? Whatever, just get me to the Mouse!) and we were finally inside the gates of Magic Kingdom! Let me just say, when trying to navigate around the park, it is two totally different perspectives when just looking at a map of the park and actually STANDING in the park. We walked in the front gates and I was completely in awe and overwhelmed. My plan to head to the back of the park first was completely pitched straight out the window and I don't think that was even a conscious decision. I was just seriously overwhelmed by the masses of people, the grandeur of the buildings and the enormity of things to do. With having scrapped Plan A, I quickly created Plan B which was to stand in the first long line we came to because obviously there must be something good to see at the end of that line. (Plan B actually started with a potty break since it took nearly an hour to actually arrive in park after leaving hotel...seriously, it took that long.) I have to give myself a little credit because I did manage to locate a FASTPASS for both the Mickey (and Minnie) Mouse Magical Meet and Greet and the Disney Princess Meet and Greet (it was right at the entrance so really I don't deserve much credit at all). Once again, the long line we just happened upon moved rather quickly and we were delighted to know it was a character meet and greet for Daisy Duck. The girls and I stood in line while Chris found a shady corner to make a work conference call (there is no such thing as a vacation for Chris. Oh wait, work IS a vacation for Chris. Now don't you DARE tell him I said that!) We waited only about 15 minutes, and then 3 more minutes while Daisy went to powder her nose, and then FINALLY it was our turn! The cast member who was assisting the photographer asked for my FUNPASS. "Funpass?" I thought to myself. I then nearly lost it on the inside because I thinking, "Lady! If I waited ALL THIS TIME in line and NOW you're going to tell me I need a FUNPASS..." But before I had a chance to blow my lid (yeah right, like I ever blow my lid), she could read the words "newbie" written all my face and simply handed me a brand new Funpass and then informed me that not only would the photographer take our pictures (and later our pictures could be downloaded off the Funpass), but she was also willing to take pictures of the whole family with MY camera if I wanted to be in the picture as well. Not a bad deal. So sorry, sweet cast member, for those few short moments when I wanted to rip your head off. With Funpass in hand, Josie ran right up to Daisy and gave lots of hugs while Izzy started freaking out and was literally climbing up my leg trying to get me to hold her. We were a little worried this would be the case with our youngest child. She has never been fond of anything in costume. So when we knew this trip was coming up I purposely looked for and took her to places that characters would be. Luckily, there is a Chic-fil-a about 20 minutes away that brings in characters once a month. In Feb. we saw Tiger and Pooh and then in March we visited Hello Kitty. Each visit elicited a crying fit from our child. So, it was no surprise she didn't want anything to do with Daisy. But, the well experienced cast member quickly told me to hold my child and stand next to Daisy so that Izzy would not be next to the duck. Now why didn't I think of that? Her advice worked like magic and just as we stood next to Daisy, Chris showed up, jumped the line divider, hopped in the picture, and we all smiled real pretty for a great family photo! Up next we greeted Pluto. Izzy even grabbed one ear to take a look under it while I was holding her. Then it was off to see Mickey and Minnie and the princesses. And there's just something magical about that Mouse because as soon as the doors opened and they let us in, Izzy ran right behind her sister for lots of hugs and kisses from Mickey and Minnie. And once we got in to see the princesses, both girls soaked up every minute with Sleeping Beauty, Belle, and Cinderella. By this time, it was already time for a some lunch so we hiked half way across the park only to find that the restaurant I had chosen was only open seasonally. Apparently, April isn't "seasonal". But we found a replacement with a waitress that obviously knew more about what we wanted than we did, because the grilled chicken we ordered arrived as fried chicken. Well, we survived...but just barely. Alright, this post is officially way too long, and knowing myself all too well, I probably won't finish it if I continue at this rate. So, here's the quick version of our second half of the day. It's a Small World - Line so long but moved so fast. The girls LOVED it! And were sitting on the edge of their seats and pointing at everything in amazement. Wish we could have done this one again because I'm sure we would have seen many things we had missed the first time. The Barnstormer - It's a roller coaster for little kids but maybe not for as little as our 3 year old. We kinda tricked her or at least just chose not to tell her exactly what we were going to do. She was cautiously excited at first. And then we hit the first drop and she freaked. Meanwhile, my Josie was laughing hysterically with her hands raised high in the air the whole way. Kind of a bummer it was such a short ride though. I have a great picture at the end of the ride when the coaster slowed to a roll and Chris said to Izzy, "Put your hands in the air!" She had stopped crying at this point, so with a smile on her face, both she and Chris raised their hands real high as the coaster was rolling to a stop and I snapped the pic. Totally looks like she was having the time of her life. Mickey's PhilharMagic 3-D movie - No wait for this show so a total bonus. We donned our 3-D glasses and enjoyed this 20 min. show. Josie and I giggled like little school girls as we tried to grab all the 3-D items headed our way. Dream Along with Mickey celebration - A fun show outside of Cinderella's castle with Mickey and friends. At one point, Josie turned to me and said "Mom! I think they're real! Look, their eyes are blinking and their mouths are moving!" I ate it up. We have always told her the truth about characters, including Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, etc. so when she had a brief moment of believing these characters were actually the real deal, I just loved it. Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse - Not a whole lot to report on this one. It was neat and what kid doesn't like to climb a million stairs so they were well entertained. Only problem was Josie kept whining, "That's not fair. I wanna room like that (one way up high in a tree)." The Magic Carpets of Aladdin ride - Fun ride but turns out it's nearly the same as the Dumbo ride (which we didn't actually ride because we realized it was the same as this one) AND the dinosaur ride at Animal Kingdom. With all the thought and imagination that has gone into the making of Disney World, I would think they could come up with something different. Peter Pan's Flight ride - And last, but not least, Peter Pan's Flight! We landed the FASTPASS for this one and waited no more than 5 minutes. This one was a hit with the kiddos and they loved seeing Captain Hook overtaken and cheered when he was in the jaws of a crocodile. We trekked our way back to the front of the park, and as promised Chris let the girls pick out a toy or two. Josie chose a small Minnie Mouse stuffed animal dressed as a fairy, a colorful bracelet with Mickey shaped beads, and a princess art supply case. What a happy girl she was! Izzy chose a Disney themed sticker book and a baby Pluto stuffed animal. And then...we called it a night around 6:00pm On the drive back to our hotel Izzy crashed hard while Josie and I reminisced about all the fun we'd had that day. I had to carry Izzy into the hotel and it was very much out of character for her to STAY asleep as I carried her in. Normally, once we wake her, she is up for good with no turning back. But not this night. She was whooped! Fortunately the 40 minute catnap energized her just enough to eat some dinner, take a bath, and antagonize her sister by stealing her toys, before heading to bed. Once the lights were out so were the kids and we didn't hear a beep till Day 3.