We spent our last full day at the Magic Kingdom. While Hollywood Studios is probably my favorite to suit my own interests, this was by far, my favorite for a family experience. I love watching my girls, seeing their faces light up with such delight.
We headed right for FantastyLand and ventured into the new expansion. We went to Enchanted Tales with Belle and it promptly joined the Top Ten list. We wound through the line and entered Maurice and Belle's home. L spotted the water wheel outside, glanced around and exclaimed, "It's Papa's house! Belle's Papa lives here!" Inside the home, a cast member showed us the magic mirror, which was one of my favorite special effects. We entered and were greeted by the Wardrobe who invited us to act out the night Belle and Beast fell in love. L and A were invited to participate as characters. L played Maurice but she shied away halfway through and asked another girl to take her place. A got to be Chip and she was adorable, hopping around with Yellow (her blanket) clutched firmly in her arms. We were joined by Belle who helped tell and act out the story. At the end, she greeted each child actor for hugs and pictures and presented them with a bookmark, even inviting L to come up again. Such a fun, interactive experience.
Then we went next door to have lunch in Belle's castle. We had been emailed and invited to try a new resort guest service, the FastPass Plus (which rumor has it, will be replacing FastPass entirely). Belle's castle is a restaurant, Be Our Guest, which serves dinner by reservation only and I simply couldn't get in, even six months in advance. Lunch is also served but as a "quick service" dining which means faster, more casual, with limited menu and limited service. The wait is typically 2 hours for lunch except that FastPass Plus allowed us to pre order and then come during a limited window for our lunch. It was a little confusing and chaotic but the castle is amazing and the food was good. We chose to eat in the Ballroom but after we finished, kidsister took the girls to see the enchanted rose in the West Wing and the Music Box in the Library.
We rode the new Voyage of the Little Mermaid, the typical but fun retelling the story and continued on to Dumbo. I wasn't particularly excited but knew the girls would love the simple ride that I remembered from times before. However, Dumbo has been seriously upgraded. Much larger, brighter and grander, two versions of the Dumbo ride stand side by side while the line disappears into a tent between them. The "line" is a kids indoor playplace where each party is given a pager and then the kids can run free to play in the maze and among the toys while they "wait". So fun and brilliant! In fact, the wait was probably more fun than the ride itself.
We waited to meet Merida, letting the girls play and color pictures in the themed courtyard while we waited. L excitedly compared her hair to Merida's and asked about her horse. But their favorite part was getting to shoot the bow and arrow before we left.
We rode the spinning tea cups, surprisingly one of A's favorite despite her panic about rides and the Winnie the Pooh ride. We rode the carousel and stopped for ice cream cones in the intense heat. From there, we split up again, Grammy and Papa took the A and E to the Philharmagic (super cute 3D movie with Donald trying to take over Mickey's orchestra) where A watched absolutely enthralled again and E promptly fell asleep and took a great nap. Meanwhile kidsister, Husband, L and I ran over to AdventureLand to ride Splash Mountain and the Big Thunder Mountain Roller Coaster. Both were so fun but of the two, L loved the roller coaster more. Husband took video of her face through most of it, beaming with delight.
After that, Papa and kidsister headed back to the hotel to lay down while Grammy, Husband and I took the girls to meet Tinkerbell and Terrence. Waiting in line, we could watch Tinkerbell cartoons but other than that, the waiting room was very plain (but thankfully, inside and air conditioned). But then we entered the "garden" which was spectacular. The girls loved when Terrence showed them the "lost thing" he had found--a crayon (which was taller than them) and eagerly waited to meet Tinkerbell. A was so tired and getting fussy but she perked up and showed her Yellow to Tinkerbell, asking her to put fairy dust on it. They thanked her for the gifts (the "Tinkerbell Magic", the presents they had been finding in the hotel room each day) and admired her shoes and wings.
After meeting Tinkerbell, we asked the girls about more rides but they declined, asking to go back to the hotel and go swimming instead. So even though we were skipping some favorites, we headed for the hotel. We stopped for a few minutes to freshen up, discover more Tinkerbell Magic (ribbon wands) and then went to Downtown Disney for dinner at the Fulton's Crab House. We were pretty tired (mostly me. I was cranky. I'm always cranky when I'm hungry.) but the food was amazing and our server brought two huge serving of rich chocolate cake for the birthday girls.
After dinner, we went shopping. The girls had been waiting and planning the whole trip. Grandma had given each of them a $15 gift card and we promised the could pick out a toy before we left. So we had shopped, perusing our options every day. They were so excited that it was finally time to choose. Daddy wandered with E while I took L and A. A headed straight for her prize--a Doc McStuffins doctor kit that she had been wanting all week. L made several laps of the store, discouraged that she couldn't find something she really wanted. Suddenly she landed on a set of markers and insisted it was perfect. I was skeptical since it was just markers but the bag is really cute and she loved it so we let it be her choice. Daddy returned with E who was happily cuddling a plush Minnie Mouse, almost as big as her. As we waited for everyone to finish shopping, Daddy took A and E next door to LegoLand for a few minutes while L and I made yet another lap of the store, "just to be sure". Eventually we were ready and kidsister went with L and A to purchase their souvenirs.
Our last stop was a quick trip to another toy store to the Mr. Potato Head tower for the unique Disney only accessories that are impossibly cute. We arrived back at the hotel, postponing swimming for the next morning and went to bed.
Miscellaneous:
--Next time you're there, don't miss Pirates and Haunted Mansion. We skipped them because my children seemed particularly sensitive lately. We also skipped TomorrowLand entirely, mostly because that's where kidsister works and we supported her taking a day of entirely from that area of the park. And because we ran out of time anyway.
--If travelling with babies or toddlers, two of my favorite Disney features are the Baby Centers and the KidSwap. The Baby Centers are not widely advertised which keeps the quiet, clean and peaceful. They have huge changing areas, private nursing rooms, a sibling room with cartoons and a little store that carries any baby item you could possibly need (diapers, clothes, medicine, etc.). It's a nice respite from the heat and a comfortable and inviting place to take care of kids. The KidSwap allows parents to take turns riding the rides without waiting in line twice. As you get in line, ask the entrance attendant for a KidSwap ticket. Then Mom waits with baby while Dad rides (with other family members). Then Dad rides while Mom goes straight to the front of the line (taking up to 3 family members with her).
--You can rent stroller at the parks. But truthfully, strollers are a huge nuisance and spend most of the day parked at the entrance to some attraction or show. I'm very grateful we had one for the walks to and from the bus or to use when getting from one area of the park to another. So if you actually need one, take your own so you can use it when you really need it.
--DisneyWorld is huge. And so different from Disneyland. Disneyland is an incredible arrive-early-and-stay-late to see it all in one day kind of adventure. DisneyWorld is a more relaxed, more immersed, stay and play for days kind of experience. So even though we didn't stay all day, every day at the parks, it maintains that magical vacation feeling at the resorts through it amazing themes and decor and service. In fact we like to leave a whole day for just playing at the resorts, there's so many fun things to do there.
--We also skipped parades and shows at MK this time. Long time favorites include the Electrical Light parade, the Castle Show and the incredible firework show called Wishes. :( Guess I'll have to go back. :)
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