Jennifer_and_Chris
10-31-2011, 02:51 PM
Well, Happy Birthday to me. It’s my actual birthday today. And our first ‘real’ day at Magic Kingdom.
5:55am – I get up without hesitation. I’m excited for Magic Kingdom. I get to spend my birthday at Magic Kingdom. My dream is to get there for rope drop. So, I’m up and at ‘em. I do my daily duty of coffee maker babysitting and then take a shower. Once I get out, the kids are jumping up and down telling me that there is a surprise on the bed for me. All the giggling…. Telling me that it’s not from any of the characters. I WONDER WHO IT’S FROM THEN???? ;) On the bed is a package of Mickey ear rice krispy treats, a new mickey coffee scoop, mickey ear bottle hanger, AKL post card and a plethora of homemade birthday cards. Awwwww…
8:00am – we leave the room…I may have a chance at getting there for rope drop. BUT WAIT… It’s EMH!!! Ugghh, I’ve missed MK rope drop again. But, EHM!!!
8:30am – we are in the park! There are very few people in the park when we get there. Since Wishes was last night, and no more Wishes this week, I’m assuming that the day will be rather slim as far as crowds are concerned.
As soon as we get into the park, we stop for some Photopass pictures. I’m hoping for a good picture in front of the castle for our Christmas cards. Once we get through Main Street, we only have eyes for Fantasyland. We’re hoping to have everything done by noon. Just about everything is less than 10 minutes. We begin our Fantasyland morning at Snow White that was just about walk on. Our longest wait in Fantasy Land was Peter Pan at about 10 minutes. We then get on to IASW. We walk right onto a boat. We then come to the ride the kids have been waiting for… Dumbo. With a 10 minute posted wait, we had to wait 3 loads before it was our turn. I rode with Isabel and Natalie rode with Chris. WE ALL GOT A PINK DUMBO! That was the goal. The elusive pink Dumbo. I get dozens of pictures of the new Fantasyland and you can see lots of progress. We stay a few minutes outside of the Dumbo exit gate to take pictures on the yellow stationary Dumbo.
No birthday of a Cinderella lovin’ mommy would be complete without a ride on the carousel. So, we actually are running onto the carousel. I love EMH morning. Isabel is able to ride by herself and we all get on a horse. Natalie exclaimed that this carousel is better than the one at the mall. WELL OF COURSE IT IS! THIS IS DISNEY!!! :D So, after the carousel, we skip (literally) to Pooh. But, the Pooh ride is at 40 minutes! So, a Fast Pass we will go…. We then skip (again, literally) to the Mad Tea Cups – a ride where we can all ride together and actually see each other. The girls are on a mission to be the fastest spinners. I am on a mission to get some great pictures of this ride. This is one of their favorites and one ride that elicits the most laughter. Nothing warms the soul like children’s uncontrollable laughter. The kind of laughter that is on the brink of silence and crying. After stubbling like a drunk out of the pink teacup, we go back and ride Winnie the Pooh utilizing our fast passes. This is another ride where the girls ride in front of us and Chris and I are in the back. I still can’t believe how great the girls are being. Overall, they have been very well mannered and paying attention. Thank goodness WDW is bringing out the best in them as we have witnessed the worst in other kids (and parents for that matter) all week.
After Pooh, we go back clockwise to Tomorrowland and since the Speedway is only at a 10 minute wait, we jump in line. It’s more like a 5 minute wait! I’m loving these lines. Isabel rides shotgun with me and Natalie drives Chris around. My little daredevil has a need for speed and asks me why the car is going so slow. I think she expected it to be like Test Track!
11:15ish - After a leisurely drive around the way, we have decided that after our potty break, we would just have lunch at Cosmic Rays. I realize that it’s only 11:15ish and we have rode everything in FantasyLand! It pays to show up early for sure! We talk to the manager about Isabel’s allergy and finally order. We picked a spot on the balcony overlooking the castle. We were the only ones. And it was because it was very windy and cool there. In fact, too cool. So, we move indoors. But, not before I realize that the Rapunzel meet and greet is right in front of us! She was the one princess that we were really hoping to meet. I mean the girls were really hoping to met. ;) So, we decide that after lunch, we’ll get in line for Rapunzel. I call my BFF to tell her that we found Rapunzel and they said that they would meet us there after lunch. After we finish lunch, I run over to Town Square to get FP for Mickey and Princess meet and greet while Chris and the girls ride the TTA. When I get back, they are still on the TTA and I get a picture of them riding pass me above! Cool picture.
12:45 – 1:40ish – After we eat, we decide to walk back over to the carousel since that’s where the strollers were parked all morning. We make our way back to Rapunzel via the “secret” walkway on the side of the castle. There is a huge line that ended by Cinderella’s wishing well. There was a cast member right there directing the line to move against the wall. I already know deep down what this line is for but, I ask anyways. It is the line to meet Rapunzel. Rapunzel will be back out about 1pm which was around 15-20 minutes away. We decide to wait it out and get it over with. As soon as we jump in line, one other person and her daughter get in line behind us and the cast member says that she is the end of the line for the 1pm meeting. Anyone behind her will be for the 2:30 meet. WHEW!! He stays to stand guard and tells everyone about the line and what time they would be waiting for and most everyone leaves. I was about to tell my BFF that they can’t meet Rapunzel until 2:30 when the cast member said that some people got out of line so, we’ve got availability for 2 more families. I tell him that we have 2 more little girls that are making their way around the castle (the stage show in front of the castle was going on so, they had to walk all the way around) and would be with us if possible. Since there was no one waiting for the 2:30 meeting time yet, he allowed them to get in line with us. I let the last woman with her daughter in front of us so she wouldn’t have to wait behind us all.
In the meet and greet area, there is a large table with coloring pages and crayons to occupy the kids while the parents wait in line for them. So, that helps with the waiting. We finally get our chance and the kids are SOOOOO mesmerized with Rapunzels hair. Chris is taking the pictures while I’m handling the autograph books and I don’t realize until that Isabel is hiding inside of Rapunzels hair. One picture she’s petting it. The next picture, she’s running her hair through it. The next picture she’s parting the hair to stand inside of it. The next picture she looks like Cousin It. I don’t see these pictures until after we get home and I’m going through the hundreds of personal pictures and the 100+ photopass pictures.
After the Rapunzel fun, we try to stick to our ‘clockwise from Fantasyland’ touring plan and we head to Tomorrowland. We part ways with my BFF and will meet them at Crystal Palace for dinner at 4:40pm. Our next order of business is Buzz. The standby line is 15 minutes. I doubt we waited 10 minutes though. So, very soon, we are shooting all the Z’s we can. After, we head to main street to go take pics with Mickey and the princesses. However, it’s about 30 minutes until the parade so, we decide to find a spot and have our ice cream. We find a spot where I am sitting directly across from the Main Street Bakery opening. The girls are sitting in their strollers right at the curb next to a wastebasket and in front of a tree. So, no one can squeeze behind them last minute and make me want to commit murder by stroller wheels. Chris goes and gets the snacks and the girls and I wait on the curb. We finish our snack just in time for the parade to start. This probably was the best interaction we’ve had with the characters during a parade. Now that I know where to sit, we’ll always sit in the same spot to ensure that we’ll have this great interaction. And post-vacation reflection has me planning to get this very spot for MSEP and Wishes next year. We had so many different characters on foot stop to wish me a happy birthday. Goofy, the Queen of Hearts (she’s not so bad) and various dancers wish me a happy birthday. But, the CRÈME DE LA CRÈME was Fairy Godmother saying happy birthday to me. And then she get’s Cinderella and Prince Charming’s attention and points to me. They say happy birthday to me and I’m on the verge of tears. But, I have to stay strong for the girls. Beast points to me and says happy birthday and then gets Belle to wave to us. Isabel is happy. Then Beast get’s Ariel’s attention (she’s on the same float) and points to Natalie who is in an Ariel costume. She waves sooooo enthusiastically to Natalie and mouths the words – I love your dress! And then she bows to Natalie. Natalie is grinning from ear to ear and is soooo shocked that Ariel picked her out and ‘spoke’ to her. What a magical parade. The best we’ve ever had. I will always seek out this spot!!!!
5:55am – I get up without hesitation. I’m excited for Magic Kingdom. I get to spend my birthday at Magic Kingdom. My dream is to get there for rope drop. So, I’m up and at ‘em. I do my daily duty of coffee maker babysitting and then take a shower. Once I get out, the kids are jumping up and down telling me that there is a surprise on the bed for me. All the giggling…. Telling me that it’s not from any of the characters. I WONDER WHO IT’S FROM THEN???? ;) On the bed is a package of Mickey ear rice krispy treats, a new mickey coffee scoop, mickey ear bottle hanger, AKL post card and a plethora of homemade birthday cards. Awwwww…
8:00am – we leave the room…I may have a chance at getting there for rope drop. BUT WAIT… It’s EMH!!! Ugghh, I’ve missed MK rope drop again. But, EHM!!!
8:30am – we are in the park! There are very few people in the park when we get there. Since Wishes was last night, and no more Wishes this week, I’m assuming that the day will be rather slim as far as crowds are concerned.
As soon as we get into the park, we stop for some Photopass pictures. I’m hoping for a good picture in front of the castle for our Christmas cards. Once we get through Main Street, we only have eyes for Fantasyland. We’re hoping to have everything done by noon. Just about everything is less than 10 minutes. We begin our Fantasyland morning at Snow White that was just about walk on. Our longest wait in Fantasy Land was Peter Pan at about 10 minutes. We then get on to IASW. We walk right onto a boat. We then come to the ride the kids have been waiting for… Dumbo. With a 10 minute posted wait, we had to wait 3 loads before it was our turn. I rode with Isabel and Natalie rode with Chris. WE ALL GOT A PINK DUMBO! That was the goal. The elusive pink Dumbo. I get dozens of pictures of the new Fantasyland and you can see lots of progress. We stay a few minutes outside of the Dumbo exit gate to take pictures on the yellow stationary Dumbo.
No birthday of a Cinderella lovin’ mommy would be complete without a ride on the carousel. So, we actually are running onto the carousel. I love EMH morning. Isabel is able to ride by herself and we all get on a horse. Natalie exclaimed that this carousel is better than the one at the mall. WELL OF COURSE IT IS! THIS IS DISNEY!!! :D So, after the carousel, we skip (literally) to Pooh. But, the Pooh ride is at 40 minutes! So, a Fast Pass we will go…. We then skip (again, literally) to the Mad Tea Cups – a ride where we can all ride together and actually see each other. The girls are on a mission to be the fastest spinners. I am on a mission to get some great pictures of this ride. This is one of their favorites and one ride that elicits the most laughter. Nothing warms the soul like children’s uncontrollable laughter. The kind of laughter that is on the brink of silence and crying. After stubbling like a drunk out of the pink teacup, we go back and ride Winnie the Pooh utilizing our fast passes. This is another ride where the girls ride in front of us and Chris and I are in the back. I still can’t believe how great the girls are being. Overall, they have been very well mannered and paying attention. Thank goodness WDW is bringing out the best in them as we have witnessed the worst in other kids (and parents for that matter) all week.
After Pooh, we go back clockwise to Tomorrowland and since the Speedway is only at a 10 minute wait, we jump in line. It’s more like a 5 minute wait! I’m loving these lines. Isabel rides shotgun with me and Natalie drives Chris around. My little daredevil has a need for speed and asks me why the car is going so slow. I think she expected it to be like Test Track!
11:15ish - After a leisurely drive around the way, we have decided that after our potty break, we would just have lunch at Cosmic Rays. I realize that it’s only 11:15ish and we have rode everything in FantasyLand! It pays to show up early for sure! We talk to the manager about Isabel’s allergy and finally order. We picked a spot on the balcony overlooking the castle. We were the only ones. And it was because it was very windy and cool there. In fact, too cool. So, we move indoors. But, not before I realize that the Rapunzel meet and greet is right in front of us! She was the one princess that we were really hoping to meet. I mean the girls were really hoping to met. ;) So, we decide that after lunch, we’ll get in line for Rapunzel. I call my BFF to tell her that we found Rapunzel and they said that they would meet us there after lunch. After we finish lunch, I run over to Town Square to get FP for Mickey and Princess meet and greet while Chris and the girls ride the TTA. When I get back, they are still on the TTA and I get a picture of them riding pass me above! Cool picture.
12:45 – 1:40ish – After we eat, we decide to walk back over to the carousel since that’s where the strollers were parked all morning. We make our way back to Rapunzel via the “secret” walkway on the side of the castle. There is a huge line that ended by Cinderella’s wishing well. There was a cast member right there directing the line to move against the wall. I already know deep down what this line is for but, I ask anyways. It is the line to meet Rapunzel. Rapunzel will be back out about 1pm which was around 15-20 minutes away. We decide to wait it out and get it over with. As soon as we jump in line, one other person and her daughter get in line behind us and the cast member says that she is the end of the line for the 1pm meeting. Anyone behind her will be for the 2:30 meet. WHEW!! He stays to stand guard and tells everyone about the line and what time they would be waiting for and most everyone leaves. I was about to tell my BFF that they can’t meet Rapunzel until 2:30 when the cast member said that some people got out of line so, we’ve got availability for 2 more families. I tell him that we have 2 more little girls that are making their way around the castle (the stage show in front of the castle was going on so, they had to walk all the way around) and would be with us if possible. Since there was no one waiting for the 2:30 meeting time yet, he allowed them to get in line with us. I let the last woman with her daughter in front of us so she wouldn’t have to wait behind us all.
In the meet and greet area, there is a large table with coloring pages and crayons to occupy the kids while the parents wait in line for them. So, that helps with the waiting. We finally get our chance and the kids are SOOOOO mesmerized with Rapunzels hair. Chris is taking the pictures while I’m handling the autograph books and I don’t realize until that Isabel is hiding inside of Rapunzels hair. One picture she’s petting it. The next picture, she’s running her hair through it. The next picture she’s parting the hair to stand inside of it. The next picture she looks like Cousin It. I don’t see these pictures until after we get home and I’m going through the hundreds of personal pictures and the 100+ photopass pictures.
After the Rapunzel fun, we try to stick to our ‘clockwise from Fantasyland’ touring plan and we head to Tomorrowland. We part ways with my BFF and will meet them at Crystal Palace for dinner at 4:40pm. Our next order of business is Buzz. The standby line is 15 minutes. I doubt we waited 10 minutes though. So, very soon, we are shooting all the Z’s we can. After, we head to main street to go take pics with Mickey and the princesses. However, it’s about 30 minutes until the parade so, we decide to find a spot and have our ice cream. We find a spot where I am sitting directly across from the Main Street Bakery opening. The girls are sitting in their strollers right at the curb next to a wastebasket and in front of a tree. So, no one can squeeze behind them last minute and make me want to commit murder by stroller wheels. Chris goes and gets the snacks and the girls and I wait on the curb. We finish our snack just in time for the parade to start. This probably was the best interaction we’ve had with the characters during a parade. Now that I know where to sit, we’ll always sit in the same spot to ensure that we’ll have this great interaction. And post-vacation reflection has me planning to get this very spot for MSEP and Wishes next year. We had so many different characters on foot stop to wish me a happy birthday. Goofy, the Queen of Hearts (she’s not so bad) and various dancers wish me a happy birthday. But, the CRÈME DE LA CRÈME was Fairy Godmother saying happy birthday to me. And then she get’s Cinderella and Prince Charming’s attention and points to me. They say happy birthday to me and I’m on the verge of tears. But, I have to stay strong for the girls. Beast points to me and says happy birthday and then gets Belle to wave to us. Isabel is happy. Then Beast get’s Ariel’s attention (she’s on the same float) and points to Natalie who is in an Ariel costume. She waves sooooo enthusiastically to Natalie and mouths the words – I love your dress! And then she bows to Natalie. Natalie is grinning from ear to ear and is soooo shocked that Ariel picked her out and ‘spoke’ to her. What a magical parade. The best we’ve ever had. I will always seek out this spot!!!!