After 12 hours at Epcot Center the day before, it was difficult to pull ourselves out of bed and arrive at Magic Kingdom as the gates opened at 9am, but we managed to accomplish it, even with puffy eyes and very sore legs. I think the fatigue factor made this our most difficult day, and we missed several rides that I really wanted to do, but we still ended up seeing a lot of the park.
I think the first thing we did was get our Fast Pass for Space Mountain. My friend, Anne, “preached the gospel of Fast Pass” to me via email before we left for Disney World, and then our touring plan told us exactly what Fast Passes to get first, second, etc. If you don’t want to wait in hour-plus lines, then you’ve got to get on board with the Fast Pass system. I don’t think we ever waited more than 20 minutes to ride the most popular rides because of this, and oftentimes it was much less. So, while we waited for our assigned Space Mountain time, we enjoyed some fun on the Tomorrowland Speedway.
After riding the People Mover, The Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, and Stitch’s Great Escape, we made our way to Space Mountain. It was Kory’s first-ever roller coaster ride, and just take a look at the seat he got! I was a little worried for him, but he absolutely loved it.
Then it was on to a much less intense ride ~ the Mad Tea Party. Kayla and I did not do much “spinning” in our tea cup, so I was able to get a few shots of my boys spinning as fast as they could. The touring plan suggested that adults could really refrain from this ride, but none of us would have missed it! (Well, except for Robert, who was off getting a Fast Pass for Splash Mountain!)
After a lunch of more gluten free cheeseburgers and chicken sandwiches at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe, we headed to Fantasyland to ride Peter Pan’s Flight, which we did NOT have a Fast Pass for. Oh my. The hour-plus wait may have contributed to my impending demise, but it was a FABULOUS ride ~ even if it lasted only about 2 minutes! I didn’t get any photos of it, as it was very dark inside, but imagine sailing high above the world of Wendy and Peter in your own fully rigged ship, soaring over the Darling children’s bedroom, watching Wendy walk the plank and Captain Hook dangle closely to the crocodile’s mouth in Never Land ~ really fantastic!
Next, we headed to It’s a Small World. We teased Kayla that it was an “intense ride,” but everyone knows it’s the “happiest cruise that ever sailed.”
The boys headed over to ride Splash Mountain, while Kayla and I walked around in Adventureland. We climbed up through the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House, which was fun for us, because it’s one Disney movie we’ve actually seen! I did not allow the kids to watch any of the cartoon Disney movies when they were toddlers or even during their early elementary years. It wasn’t necessarily Disney or cartoons that I was staying away from on their behalf, it was TV and movies in general. I wanted their days to be filled with books, and blocks, and outside play, and imagination, and so we just didn’t watch a lot of TV at all. But somehow, I failed to introduce these things later. So, Kayla was walking around Magic Kingdom reminding me that she had never even SEEN Cinderella or Snow White or The Little Mermaid, and had no idea what the story lines were! (She HAS seen Mary Poppins on Broadway, though. Surely, I win some points for that one!?!)
You’ll be happy to know that my poor, little, deprived-of-Disney, 11 year old girl did get to watch The Little Mermaid on our way back to Massachusetts, so she’s well on her way to being cultured ~ finally.
We ended our day a bit early at the Main Street Bakery where they happen to have pre-packaged gluten free brownies, cookies, and rice krispie treats. Because of fatigue, impending melt-downs, and pouring rain, we regretfully (but probably necessarily!), skipped the Electrical Parade and Fireworks for a “home”-cooked meal of fried egg sandwiches back in our hotel room, and a 9pm bedtime. We also missed The Haunted Mansion, which was one of my favorites as a child, The Jungle Cruise, and The Hall of Presidents. Maybe next time…
Day Three at Animal Kingdom proved to include renewed energy and lots of fun…
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That's a very nice activity with the family and the most important is we include Christ in every activity. Anyway, planning to visit Disney with small kids? Have a baby strollers rental to have a hassle-free vacation.