We woke up bright and early to head over to Magic Kingdom. This year we spent 2 days at Magic so we were excited to not feel quite so rushed. We decided to make Day 1 the long day and have Day 2 be shorter. Photopass again came in handy as we entered the park.
Day 1 was predominantly Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. This is Mimi, mine, and the boys' favorite park so we made the most of it! I love Caden's sweet face in this picture!
We did Every.Single.Thing. on our itinerary in both Fantasyland and Tomorrowland and had an amazing time!
We started out in Tomorrowland and Ben and Ethan braved Space Mountain. Ethan thought it was the best thing ever! While they did that, Mimi, Mommy, and Caden rode the way more tame Tomorrowland Transit Authority's People Mover.
Then it was time for Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. This and Toy Story Mania at Hollywood Studios are the boys' favorite rides on property so we try to make sure we do both of those early in the day. I was very serious about catching those bad guys ;-) Caden almost always wants the controls so it's funny that I actually got to participate. Again, having the Photopass made getting pictures like this one of a kind.
Ben made sure that the whole trip was well documented by camcorder and the kids have enjoyed watching the videos since we have returned home.
After that we made our way over to Fantasyland and of course, we rode the teacups at Mad Tea Party!
Then we rode Prince Charming's Regal Carousel and when we got off Caden tried to pull the sword out of the stone :-)
And we definitely made time for Mimi's favorite ride, "It's a Small World"
After lunch at Cosmic Ray's, a ton more rides, shows, and parades and then dinner at Tony's Town Square it was finally time to set up for the Main Street Electrical Parade. I'm still disappointed that I don't have picture documentation of all of them. Some of our favorite memories This is the best parade in all of Disney in our opinion and we always make time for it. Ethan hammed it up and made friends with the girls in the family sitting next to us. They thought he was hilarious and he shared all kinds of stories with them ;-)
After a while, Caden felt left out and had to join the comedy show. Unfortunately, this pic doesn't capture the million laughs the group shared.
After the parade, we made our way toward the front of the park to wait for the Wishes fireworks show. Last year, we watched the parade and fireworks from the central plaza in front of the castle and although that is a prime viewing location, it made leaving the park almost impossible when it was over. This year, we were much smarter and watched from the courtyard at the front of the park and it was SOOOOO much better! When we returned to the villa, even though it was late I called the Lost and Found at Saratoga and at Downtown Disney once again and left messages with my contact info checking to see if anyone had turned in a Nikon camera. I still hoping for it's return...the thought of losing it forever is devaastating. Ethan's kindergarten graduation pictures were still on the camera because I hadn't had time to get them on the computer before we left for Disney. Once in a lifetime experiences that I cringed to think about going undocumented.
The next morning we returned for Day 2
Our first Fastpass was the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train so Mimi rested and
met up with us later in the morning. We decided to take the monorail in
to the park that morning and it had mechanical trouble when we got to
The Grand Floridian so we all had to get off and wait for another train.
We had to reschedule our Fastpass so by the time we got to the park we
were ready for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain. Then
we met up with Mimi and walked back to the Mine Train. It was having
mechanical difficulties so we scored 2!!!! extra Fastpasses for everyone
in our group! We were super excited about that! I have to admit, we've
been to Disney several times but this was the first time I've ever
experienced more than one ride and/or mode of transportation out of
order. Even so, it didn't spoil our experience at all.
While we were waiting in line for Splash Mountain, I received a phone call. It was Lost and Found from Saratoga Springs! My camera had been turned in! I was so happy I started crying...like balling. Even though I immediately wanted to go get it, I didn't want to sacrifice the day for the boys so we stayed and I hoped that we would be able to leave the park before 5 so that I could pick it up before their office closed. So we continued on and after several more rides, walking through Tom Sawyer Island, stopping at Pecos Bill's for lunch, climbing the Swiss Family Treehouse and riding Pirates of the Caribbean we headed over to The Magic Carpets of Aladdin.
We knew we wanted to leave the park early enough to enjoy the resort pool and get the camera before dinner so we went back to the villa to change. Unfortunately, by the time we got back the office was closed and I wasn't able to get the camera but we played in the kiddie lagoon at Saratoga Springs and the boys loved it! There were multiple water slides, a splash area, and it was all zero depth entry. A very enjoyable experience for all of us!
All too soon, we head to return to the room to get ready for Chef Mickey's, my favorite restaurant on property! I have no idea why Mimi is not in this picture :-( Considering we are gluten free, the dining options should have been challenging for us that week but the managers and staff at all of the restaurants on property are AMAZING at adapting to meet the needs of families' dietary restrictions and they do it all while smiling. Truly, there was only one cast member the whole week who seemed annoyed with us and I call that success.
Unfortunately, all the pictures that I took with the boys and Mickey and the gang using the point and shoot and my phone turned out poorly :-( A HUGE bummer that I had not been able to get the camera before dinner that night!!!! We made the best of it, though, had a great dinner and went back to the villa to rest up for our last long day, Hollywood Studios, Ben's favorite park!
