The Magic Kingdom

February 10th, 2018

Today we are spending the day at Magic Kingdom.  This is one of my favorite parks in Walt Disney World.  Cinderella’s Castle never gets old and this year we were excited to see the new fireworks display at night!

We headed to the park around 9am and it was already nice and hot!  We took the bus over from the resort, it was quick and no waiting.  We didn’t bother to eat breakfast at the resort as we always make a stop on Main Street at the bakery for a bite to eat.

  Just as we were entering Main Street, there was a morning parade.

Our traditional Main Street Photo is a must!  It’s always crowded but it’s nice to compare the kids to our very first visit! We will get a better Castle picture later on.

We headed over to Adventureland

and made our way to Frontierland

We have a FastPass for 9:55 at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.  We all love this ride and do it every time we come here.  I’m not a huge fan of roller coasters but I can handle the little ones at Magic Kingdom.

Next, we went back to Adventureland and did The Magic Carpets of Aladdin Ride.  It was only a 10 minute wait, so why not?

Next, we went to Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room.  I have always wondered what this was and to be honest, I was not a fan of it.  It’s a great place to sit and cool off but that was about it for me.

 There are tons of little shops throughout the parks and its a great place for pin trading.  The cast members are usually wearing lanyards with pins for trading and you can always ask to see the pin board.  The kids were on a mission to complete sets that they started on the Cruise.

The kids also collect pressed pennies.  There are machines throughout the park and we always stop to get a few. You need 2 quarters and 1 penny. We always try and get the shiny pennies.

Bria striking a pose

We made our way back to Fantasyland because it was soon time for lunch.  Bria spotted Stitch along the way so we had to stop.  There was a parade on Main Street so we stopped for a few minutes to watch.  We have seen this parade a few times on previous trips so we didn’t stay to watch it all!

 Always time for a Castle picture

I booked Be our Guest Restaurant when our booking window was open a few months ago.  Its one of the hardest places to get a reservation so I was up at 6am waiting to book.  We have had Cinderella’s Royal Table inside the castle a few times in the past, so we wanted to try something different this time and Belle is one of my favorite princesses…who wouldn’t want to eat in her castle?

We had reservations for 12:20 and arrived around 12:10 to check-in.  We then proceeded to a line (yes, there is a line even with a reservation).

Kids waiting in line

Here we go…as you enter the castle, there is a feeling of coldness.  Its as the castle is a little cursed and you don’t know what is going to happen.

Once you get inside, you have to pass through a hallway that is lined with suits of armor.  In this hallway, there are kiosks where you can order food if paying via magic band or Credit card.  If paying cash you stay the line.

As you turn the corner from the hallway, you make your way to the castle’s study!  The fireplace is roaring and it suddenly feels very warm and inviting.  Inside the Study area is where you order your lunch and pay with cash.

Once you are paid, you are handed a plastic rose and you have 3 dining rooms to choose from.  You literally walk around yourself and find an empty table. You place your rose on the table and the dining team will find you.

There is the ballroom, which is the largest of the three and two wings off to the side.  Here are a few pictures of the ballroom.  It really made you feel that you were far far away from Florida!

 The West Wing is the smallest of the three dining rooms and is very dimly-lit.  The petals from the rose drips and periodically you can hear the roaring thunder and lightening storm crashing outside the windows.  I’m not sure this dining room would be great for little kids, but us big kids would love it.

The other wing is the Rose Gallery.  This is the complete opposite of the West Wing.  If you are a Beauty and the Beast fan like I am, this is the room for you.  It is lined with the most amazing artwork and in the centre of the room is a music box featuring a rotating sculpture of Belle and the Beast in their ballroom dance.

around the room…

We decided to eat in the Rose Gallery.  It felt so inviting and magical.

There was a self serve pop station so we helped our self to some beverages and silverware.  We didn’t have to wait long for our food to arrive.

It was a delicious meal and we all ate for $63.00.

After we were done, we headed out

This was leaving the castle…simply gorgeous!

Our overall lunch experience at Beast Castle was amazing!  This restaurant holds 550 guests and it didn’t feel crowded or overwhelming.  If you choose to do Dinner at the castle, its a different experience and Beast do make an appearance for photo’s in the warm and cozy study and sometimes he visits the West Wing!

Next up…Prince Charming Regal Carrousel

It was really hot out so we decided to head over to Mickey’s PhilharMagic since it was next to the Carrousel.  This is a 3-D movie inside a theatre that is nice and cool.  We see this little movie every visit and we love it!

After we were done the movie and cooled off a little, we walked through Cinderella’s Castle.

and of course another castle picture

We found a spot near the castle to watch the parade.  No matter how many times you see the parades in Walt Disney World, they never get old.  I absolutely love them!  The parade starts with Family of the day!

Let the parade begin…

I can sit and watch this parade all day.  Well, maybe if it were a little cooler.

A few more…

My favorite

After nearly melting watching the parade, we headed over to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride but it was closed for repair.  We had a FastPass for this ride and they told us to come back at our convenience and we could use our pass at any time.

While we waited, we went to Under the Sea-Journey of The Little Mermaid.

We didn’t have a FastPass for this line but it wasn’t too bad of a wait.  We pretty well walked on through!

   I love this ride

After that ride, we went over to see if the Mine Train was back up and running and it was!

Our Next FastPass was for Splash Mountain

I didn’t get on this ride but Kerry and the kids loved it!

The kids wanted some popcorn and pretzels so we made our way to grab a bite to eat and also a rest!  The days are long, hot and very tiring!  The parks are huge and so much walking!

After our much needed break and some food, we shopped on Main Street. I love shopping on Main Street, USA. For a Disney Fan like me, its pure heaven! I did manage to fine a few things and of course I had to add to my Pandora collection.

Bria found a gigantic Stitch. By gigantic, I mean almost as big as her. She spotted this beast at World of Disney in Disney Springs the night before but we really had no idea how to get it home.

She wanted to buy it and made a promise that she was going to carry it in her arms on the airplane. I warned her that Stitch may not make it through customs! Bria bought Stitch and it was too big to lug around all evening in Magic Kingdom so we used the buy now pick up later service.  Its a fantastic service and I would suggest going to the shops earlier in the day because when you leave Magic Kingdom at night its like a zoo!

After our shopping adventure, we went to find a spot near the castle to watch the fireworks.  We had over an hour before the show started, but from past experience, go early!  We could not believe the amount of people that were already there when we got there.  We found a good place and we stayed put until it began.

Once Upon A Time was starting at 7:30.  Cinderella’s Castle comes to life with Disney scenes and characters via projections…simply magical!

I can’t even explain how amazing this is!

You just stand there in awe

Next up was the grand finale to our amazing day, the end to our 19 day vacation and to all the memories we made along the way.

Happily Ever After is about to begin…

 

A fireworks show like no other

What a show!!!

There you have it…our day in the Magic Kingdom!  There is so much to do and see in this park.  We didn’t rush today as we been here before and we skip on the character meet & greets because we do all those on the cruise (without the long line-ups).

My suggestion for any park in Disney World…use FastPasses!  They make life so much easier and you can do so much more when you don’t have to stand in line for hours waiting for a ride or to even meet Mickey Mouse.