Disney 4: More Magic Kingdom Magic

For our last day at the parks, we KNEW we had to spend another full day at Magic Kingdom. It was Saturday and the first non-Halloween Disney day in weeks. This was a BIG deal because it meant we could pull a late night at the park and see all the traditional "Disney After Dark" events that had been replaced by Halloween happenings during October.  Since it was our last night before heading home the next day, we knew it would work to throw caution to the wind and pull a full day soaking up the last bit of Magic Kingdom's magic before we had to return to our mouse-free reality.

There was only one kink in the plan....rain! Truth is, that soggy Saturday had been staring at us for the whole week and despite all the stars we wished upon, the forecast didn't change. We weren't quite sure if it was the worst idea or best idea we ever had, but we went for it. We streamlined the stuff we were bringing in, hooked up the rain cover on the stroller, grabbed the umbrella we packed and went for it! It rained the whole way there on the shuttle. Lou & I exchanged "um, what are we thinking?!" looks the whole way then, after surveying the girls' mood, we decided that it was memory making time. (Even if that memory would be one that the girls would one day tell our grandchildren about the time we drug them through Magic Kingdom in the pouring rain.)

So, spoiler alert, the rain never really did clear up and, guess what? That rain ended up being the best thing that could've happened to us!

Foreshadowing from two super-smiling sisters on the bus ride in:

After hopping on the big train that weaves through the park, we rode it over to FantasyLand in the midst of a pretty epic downpour. The whole scene was so crazy and so hilarious that we just had to laugh. We hopped off the train and the rain lessened to a drizzle. The kind of drizzle that keeps the faint-hearted away from Magic Kingdom on a dreary day.  The kind of drizzle that pretty much means you have Magic Kingdom all to yourselves!  We rocked that place out!  Here's some evidence.

After waiting a little extra while for the track to dry before it was safe, Bea rode her first big coaster - the Barn Stormer. Josie and I sat behind her and were shocked that little Beba-Do kept her hands up the whole way!

When the rain picked back up, we found indoor things to do. We spent a good chunk of time inside Dumbo's circus that's meant to be a holding tank for the typically long wait for the ride. Instead, we played as long as we wanted, watched the rain and when it lightened up, walked on the ride and picked the Dumbo of our choice!

You guys, this is as big as "the crowd" got that day!

Speaking of short lines and brave girls, Josie decided that if she was at Magic Kingdom, she was going to ride Space Mountain. Honestly, that ride scared the heck out of me when I was about her age, but Josie has a thrill-seeking gene that just can't be denied.  The wait was 10 minutes. No fastpasses necessary. Once we got in there and it was all dark and mysterious, she got really nervous. This nervous:

Storytime: Oh my goodness, the poor thing erupted into tears when she realized the Space Mountain seats were front-to-back instead of side-by-side. I might never forget her pitiful little "Mama, you won't be next to me?" when the bar opened up for us to step on. I told her we could totally bail and do it again next time. Wiping her tears, she said, "I'm doing it. Just promise you won't let go of me!" So, I sat behind her and wrapped my arms around her and she grabbed my hands and we both screamed the whole way.  When it was all said and done, she breathed a big sigh and said she was really really glad she did it but that it was "scary in a fun way."  When I asked if she felt like she was flying in space because of all the stars, she innocently asked, "There were stars? I didn't see them. I had my eyes closed the whole time." 

We got another of those cool ride-swap passes and sent Lou off for his first Space Mountain ride and the girls and I played in the arcade.  Lou kept his eyes open the whole time (we think).

Like I said, the park crowd was really sparse so we had our pick of rides and rode many of them multiple times.

We wove our way in, out and around all the different parts of Magic Kingdom - picking up the rides & attractions we missed and repeating favorites from our first day there. Josie & Lou rode Thunder Mountain together this time, while Bea & I hung out on Tom Sawyer's Island. Then we stumbled upon the little quartet outside the Country Bear Jamboree & had ourselves a little Schneider family dance break!

Then it was PARADE TIME!  While we waited, they invited kids into the street to hula hoop. Josie got a pretty big kick out of a crowd cheering her on. She turned it on and did her world famous "hula hooping chicken dance."

We snacked on yummy treats (and Bea grew "Disney princess eyes).

We discovered the joys of Nutella waffles and have already made them twice since we've been home.

Then the Disney magic rolled by!

And the Beast came, which made Bea retreat to her Papa's arms.

Mary Poppins gave Josie a wink and nod, which she thought was pretty much the coolest thing in the world.

We had little reminders that we were in Florida.

After the parade, we headed to our Dinner Reservations at The Crystal Palace - the home of the Hundred Acre Wood character meal.  It's a lovely spot in a beautiful quiet part of Magic Kingdom and the buffet had a surprising number of vegetarian options. Just like Play & Dine, the characters all came right to the table for an autograph, photo opportunity and a cuddle.

Papa Lou (who may keep a very well-loved childhood Pooh of his tucked away safely in his closet) was just as excited as the girls were to meet this beloved bear.

It wasn't long until the sun began to set on Magic Kingdom. And, wow, really, it just transforms until a truly wondrous place as the lights all turn on and begin to twinkle. The rain showers grew wider and wider apart and the skies were gorgeous.

Josie & I separated from Lou & Bea so we could check out Belle's "ride" (which is really an interactive tour and story-time with Belle herself).

Lou & Bea rode the teacups a few more times and Josie met her only Princess (quite by accident, which is kinda funny.)

Once we reunited, it was time to relive one of my strongest childhood memories from my trip to Disney as a kid! The Electrical Parade.

It was just as magical as I remembered it, and our little girls stood just as captivated and filled with wonder as I'm sure my sister and I did all those years ago.

When Elliot from Pete's Dragon came floating down the street, I got a little teary-eyed. It's true. Our Disney trip was winding down and all of the little magical moments from our time there all came together into one big overwhelming wave of gratitude and joy. Standing there with my family, and remembering standing there with my sister and my parents, and realizing how quickly 30 years goes by, and thinking about the day our girls will one day return as adults. Well, it's really no wonder my heart just about burst.

The wet streets made the electrical parade really cool with the extra reflections. And, everything about the parade was just like I remembered it - right down to the music! I thought I was a little bit crazy, but we later learned from one of the Cast Members that the parade we saw really WAS the parade I saw there as a kid in the 80s! They started running the original parade at Magic Kingdom again in 2010. How's that for some Disney magic?

After the parade, we asked the girls what they wanted to do since it was getting late. It was a unanimous decision. Back to the Small World we went!

Bea LOVED this pink elephant near the end of the ride. She's still talking about it. 

No one remembers just how many times in a row we rode "It's A Small World" that night. But it was a lot. We did have to get off and walk back on each time, which just made it more fun. Each time we stood outside and watched some of the fireworks, then yelled "AGAIN" and all four of us skipped back down to pick a boat.  On what was at least the 4th or 5th time, Bea fell asleep. I mean honestly, can you imagine falling asleep in your mother's arms while floating through the Small World ride? Does it get better than that? (Actually, it does. I can't think of a time I've been any happier than floating through the Small World, with Bea snoozing in my arms and Josie & Lou signing along.)

We put Bea in her stroller, covered her up and told Josie that being six was about to pay off. There's a lot to buy at Disney and we told the girl they could each buy one souvenir before we left. Since Bea was asleep, Josie got to pick them. We encouraged her to pick something that represented her best memory from the week. When we found the Small World singing dolls, it was a no-brainer. Josie choose the doll from Japan and picked the doll from India for Bea and all was right in our small world.


It was about 10pm and being six was about to pay off even more. We told her we could stay as long as she wanted and do whatever she wanted to do while we were there. She wanted to go ride the Astro Orbiter at dark and I stayed down with sleeping Bea while Lou & Josie rode in spaceships high about TomorrowLand.

As we were wandering around, we stumbled upon the Electrical Parade again. We had a great view of it in front of the castle, and the crowd had thinned out even more. It was the perfect way to end the night.

We were on the bus back to the hotel somewhere around 11:30 and carried two sleeping girls through the hotel and into their beds.

 ***

The next morning Lou had an expert witness interview and the girls & I hung out around the hotel, played with the new dolls and went to get breakfast.

Before we left, we had to spend one last chunk of time on the beach playground and soak up that last bit of Florida sunshine.

As we drove to the airport, a skywriter summed up the week better than I can.

It was a quick and easy flight home.

It's already been several weeks since our trip to DisneyWorld ended, and it's funny how often it still comes up in conversation.  All four of us have been known to just randomly start sentences with "Hey, remember at Disney when....".   Bea is still talking about meeting Mickey and Minnie. Josie is still telling the tale of facing her fears and tackling the big rides. Their two Small World dolls have their own special place in their bedroom and they carry them around like precious treasures. And ha, they've both learned how to sing "It's A Small World" in three languages.  I don't want to forget any of it. (And I'm hoping that getting it all on the blog here will help with that pursuit.)

Our trip from Disney grew from its origin as a trip we couldn't pass up since we both had business in Orlando into hands-down the best week our family has ever spent together.  I'll admit, we went into it knowing we'd have fun but believing firmly we weren't a "Disney family."  That feels a little ridiculous now.

I've had a few people ask what tips we have for making the most of a Disney trip, and I'll put that together soon, but I'll say this now. A big part of the "magic" for us was just giving fully into it. Embracing the crazy. Surrendering to the experience.  Buying mouse ears. Dancing in the street. Eating dessert with every meal. Hugging beloved childhood characters. Screaming on the roller coasters. Singing along to It's A Small World.  Riding the teacups until your eyes cross. Saying yes. Seeing the world through your child's eyes. Being a kid yourself.

Then promising to do it all again some day.

***

ICYMI: Here are the other posts from our trip.
Preview: The Dreams Come True Parade
Disney 1: Awesome Eve
Disney 2: Magic Kingdom!
Disney 3: Studios & Sunshine

Disney 3: Studios & Sunshine

Those who were following along during our "help!" planning plea to Facebook know that one of the biggest questions we were grappling with was where to actually spend our time (and money) while at DisneyWorld. We knew we wanted to do two days at Magic Kingdom, but that third day baffled us. In the end, we ended up deciding to spend the extra day at Hollywood Studios - mostly because our kids are still more into the Disney Junior characters found there than they are the Disney Princesses found elsewhere. We knew Josie would love Epcot, but we weren't sure about Beatrice. We decided to save Epcot for next time and we SOOOO made the right decision!

On Friday morning we ventured out early with a plan to take the boat shuttle over to Hollywood Studios. It was the girls' first real look at the back half of the Dolphin hotel in the sunlight and they were totally dazzled by the rows of huge palm trees, gigantic fountain, waterways and sunshine. Our Magic Kingdom memories from the day before ensured we had another awesome day ahead of us. We were all giddy with the thought of another day!

I managed to capture some of Bea's best "WHOA" expressions - repeated countless times across the span of our days at Disney.

After a little planning hiccup, we grabbed a cab to Disney Studios instead, because we had an important breakfast reservation to keep. The outside of the park was all set-up for the release of Monsters U, which was perfectly timed because the girls and Lou watched Monsters, Inc. for the first time on the plane ride down to Orlando.  They had fun playing with these familiar faces. (Sidebar: You sort of haven't lived until you've heard Beatrice say "Mike Wazowski".)

We were all smiles as we entered the park, where the girls knew we were having breakfast but knew very little else.

See, Hollywood Studios is the home of Disney Play & Dine - where the kids' favorite TV (err, ipad) characters reign supreme. It was sort of the best place on earth for the wee one set.  A kids' height buffet with Mickey Mouse shaped waffles and all the fixings, and circulating characters that came right to the table to say hi, sign autographs & pose for photos.  As you can imagine, as soon as the girls realized what was about to happen, they couldn't believe it!

Jake (& the NeverLand Pirates)

Special Agent Oso (and Bea's face!)

Handy Manny

June (of The Little Einsteins)

And, then, the happiest moment of their little lives happened. For a good six years now, we've had a little one who stops everything and hops up to dance whenever 'The Hot Dog Dance" comes on (as it does at the end of every Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode). So, when the girls found out we were going to DisneyWorld, "Will we get to do the Hot Dog Dance?" was one of their first questions. We promised they would, so thank goodness they did!!!

After a pretty amazing breakfast, we set out into the park. Truth told, that part was way less impressive than the walk into Magic Kingdom.  We grabbed fastpass tickets for the only real ride appropriate for our kids' ages there - The Toy Story Mania - and then headed around for a little walk.

Then a very favorite Disney memory happened!

Storytime:  Josie really wanted to wait in the 20 or so minute line to meet Buzz Lightyear and Woody, but Bea wasn't that into it. She wasn't thrilled with the idea of waiting in line, especially when that meant Buzz (who can be a little intimidating if you're two) was the reward for her patience.  So, Beatrice and I headed outside the window to wait for Josie's turn where we'd watch from behind the glass. It wasn't long before Josie had her chance! Josie was so cute & happy with them, and Bea was second-guessing her decision to miss out on the fun...

...Then GUESS WHAT HAPPENED? Buzz looked at Josie, pointed at her dress, then looked at Bea and pointed at her matching dress. Then walked over to the glass and put his hand up on the window for Bea to touch. When he realized Bea wasn't afraid, he turned himself sideways and hobbled OUT THE DOOR (with his handler trying to pull him back in) to pat Bea on the head, put a kiss on her nose and escort her in.  Bea was smitten. And we ended up with another round of photos, this time with our whole family. Thanks Buzz! That was some pure Disney magic that none of us will ever forget.

As per our plan, we spent the morning hanging out at Hollywood Studios. It's true, it would be VERY hard to spend a whole day there with kids this age, but it worked in perfect harmony with our plan for the day.

Muppets 3-D

The other reason we knew we had to do Hollywood was this Disney Junior Show with Doc McStuffins, Sophia the First, Jake & the NeverLand Pirates and Mickey Mouse & Friends! They were more than a little amazed to see their familiar faces "live."

Jake drops gold doubloons. 

Before leaving the Studios and heading back to the hotel for a break, we had some really amazing ice cream bars.

As per the plan, since it was well into the mid-80s and since our hotel had a really amazing pool/beach/playground set-up, we spent the morning at Hollywood Studios, took a break for lunch and pool time at the hotel, then headed back to Hollywood Studios in the evening for more fun!

It was an absolutely GORGEOUS day!

After a nice couple of hours away from the parks, we headed back to the Studios to use the fastpasses from the morning!

Of all the rides in our three days at Disney, Toy Story had the longest line. Our fastpass window that we picked up at 10am wasn't until 4:30pm.  Once we got inside and Bea realized there were 3D glasses involved, she was having NO part of it. We were all a little disappointed, because Lou & I both wanted to ride it and knew we couldn't if Bea bailed. But, with an understanding sigh, I headed out with Bea and sent Josie & Lou on their way.

Then, more Disney magic happened. One of the workers realized what was happening and handed me a RideSwap pass so that I could immediately get back on the ride with Josie as soon as she and Lou were finished. So, Bea & I waited for Josie & Lou and, five minutes later, Josie and I went for another round. No wonder it's such a popular ride. You wear 3D glasses then move through a kind of arcade where you hit various targets to earn points. Josie whooped me. (Her score is on the right.)

Out of order, but here are a few photos from our photopass. Josie insisted on this one and thinks it is absolutely hilarious.

Meeting the real monsters was so much fun! They were hilarious (and enormous)!  Bea was content to sit this one out.

How tired do they look?!

Then, after a day and a half, the big moment happened. They got to meet Mickey Mouse!!!  Watching the girls meet Mickey was every bit as precious as I ever imagined it would be. They were both bursting with joy!

And then, we met (in Bea's words) "da real red dress Minnie."

After dinner at Mama Melrose restaurant, we headed to the big Fantasmic show. It was the most people we saw in one place the entire week. The show was a true marvel of sight and sound and, for that reason, way too intense in several parts for Beatrice. A couple images were even a bit frightening to Josie, who still can't get the whole way through a Disney movie because the villians are too scary for her.  The show was part light show, part water show, part parade, part concert, part fireworks display and all Disney magic.

Disney definitely knows how to put on a show! We ended the night amazed and exhausted.

It was quite a hike back to the boat shuttle with two girls that insisted on being carried. It was a silent, sleepy, dreamy float back to the hotel where we all crashed HARD and dreamed sweet dreams of the next day at Magic Kingdom that would follow.