It was the Extra Magic Morning Hour at Magic Kingdom & this one really counts. We left for the MK at 7:30am, hoping to hit Space Mountain and Fantasyland before the park opened to the public. We rode the buses this morning. As we arrived, we saw the characters waving from the train for rope drop. Right on time. Brian grabbed our stroller, and I took ADV to the bathroom. We loaded them in and pulled out the video camera to capture LRV's first glimpse of 'Cindralella's Castle': priceless!
Brian suggested we take some pics while everyone was fresh; we got some cute shots with us and the Maurers. Then it was off to Space Mountain. We decided to hit that first while Andrew's excitement was high. The dads took the boys there, while the girls rode Buzz Lightyear. Good ride; distant second to TSM, tho. Unfortunately, just before it was the boys turn to ride, they shut down Space Mtn for 15 minutes. Andrew took a bathroom break and the nice folks in line let him back in. He loved it. Big winner!
While the boys were stuck in Tomorrowland, the girls headed over to Fantasyland, walking thru the castle. We went to Cinderella's carousel first. Andrea and I actually rode a horse. Can't think of the last time I rode on a carousel... Then we went to It's a Small World. Lauren loved it. She more or less stood next to me in the boat, clapping and pointing excitedly to all the things she saw. She particularly liked the can-can dancers in France. (should i be concerned? :) It was really cute. Watching her enjoy everything made the annoying song worth it.
After IaSW, we rode Winnie the Pooh. Another great pre-school ride. LRV thought it was cool to ride thru Pooh's dream. So fun seeing everything thru her eyes. It's like living your life over again... Anyway, after the Pooh ride, we headed to Pooh's playground to let the girls run around a bit. We checked in with the boys who headed our way. They hit Dumbo while the girls played. The Maurers led out on a morning snack break of popcorn and lollipops. Then we all rode the Tea Cups. Fortunately, no casualties.
We FP'd Peter Pan who already had an absurdly long line -- what is it about that ride? Then we headed to Philharmagic. It was maybe half full. We got good seats in the middle and settled in. Lauren wouldn't keep her 3-D glasses on, but Andrew was all over it. Watching Donald Duck get into trouble chasing that hat just cracked him up. I got a cute pic of him in a sorcerer mickey hat in the gift shop.
Next, we walked down to Liberty Square and rode the Haunted Mansion. Bad call. Much scarier after the refurb. Lauren curled into me with her eyes closed the entire time. 'When will the scary ride be over, Mommy?' I'm thinkin' we'll skip that one next time. Well done, but less emphasis on the 'happy haunts' and more weight on the fright factor. It was nice to get back out into the sunshine.
We walked over to where a silhouette artist was stationed, hoping to get profiles done of LRV & ADV. Mine and Brian's parents had ours done when we were pre-schoolers. We thought it would be fun to have a complete set. The kids were impressively compliant. Will and Sam sat very still setting the bar high, and Andrew rose to the occasion. While Lauren and Lilly were taking their turns, we saw Sleeping Beauty quietly make her way to a secluded courtyard fifty feet away. Andrea & I got in line while the kids played. We waited all of five minutes. Watching Lauren meet Sleeping Beauty was a highlight of our trip for me. We got it all on video too which is awesome! That's LRV's favorite princess; she was positively beside herself. Lauren kissed Sleeping Beauty's hand. She was just in awe of her. It was a magical moment for Lauren.
Next we headed to Peter Pan as our FP window had opened. I rode with Andrew. He picked out Ariel the mermaid, and laughed out loud at Capt. Hook in the jaws of the crocodile. I'm glad I got to ride that with him.
Afterward we headed to Pinnochio Village Haus for an early -- 11:30am -- lunch. I took Sam and Lauren to the potty while the dads got a table. Then I ordered lunch. Only time I ordered a CS meal, I think. You can get strawberry yogurt at PVH (for a kids dessert), but our kids ate it as their entree. I ate the kids meal turkey rollups. The kids ate yogurt plus some pizza and fruit. Everyone wins. Lilly and Robbie headed back to POR for a nap. While the rest of the kids finished up, the dads picked up the silhouettes of the kids. Oh my goodness.. they were TERRIBLE. All five kids had a Pinnochio nose. They looked nothing like our children. It was really quite funny. Jay and I walked back and returned them. The CMs didn't bat an eye. I wonder if they get a lot of returns? I mean the ones of Brian and I as kids are spot on. Maybe our girl was still training...
Next we FP'd Big Thunder Mtn Railroad, then walked over to Pirates of the Carribean. We just walked right up. Can't beat that! The Davy Jones waterfall projection wasn't working, so it was kind of random that you just floated in the dark for a while. But that not withstanding, it was a pleasant ride. The kids enjoyed the animatronic characters. There was a big back-up of boats at the end of the ride. LRV was very concerned that boats kept hitting each other...
Then we walked over to Aladdin's Magic Carpets and rode those. The kids thought it was cool that there were 'jewels' in the pavement. ADV tried to free several. There's no relief from the heat on that ride. Full sun. It was hot. The kids cooled off in the tiki misters. Then the boys headed to BTMR while the girls went to the Tiki Room. It's amazing how that song comes right back to you.
We then cut thru the shops to catch Woody's Cowboy Camp parade in Frontierland. Lauren got really into it. She didn't want to participate in the parade, but she sang and danced around near us. We met up with the boys and walked toward Jungle Cruise. But the lines were long and the kids were melting down. The Maurers stopped for snacks - eggrolls!? - but our family was done. We turned in our stroller and bussed it back to POR.
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