Our second full day in Orlando, we were headed to the Magic Kingdom. We tried to get up a little earlier to hopefully avoid the bus situation from the day before (arriving just after — we assume — the bus left) and didn’t have to wait as long for a bus. We arrived about 15 minutes after the park opened so there were small lines to enter and we missed the opening ceremony but with two little’s used to being on Central time that was as good as we could do.
We had pre-selected our FastPass+ rides (Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo, and the Teacups) and knew that we needed to head towards FantasyLand once we entered the park. But we had time so we took our time walking down main street and walking through Cinderella’s castle. As soon as James saw it he exclaimed “Castle!” and once Charlotte told him it was Cinderella’s he would say “Cin-rella’s castle!” every time he spotted it.
After walking through the castle we noticed that the wait for Princess Fairytale Hall was only 10 minutes and we hadn’t gotten to see Rapunzel yet so we got in line. The kids kept oohing and aahing over the “lavish” decorations in the castle and Charlotte was blown away when she got to see Cinderella’s glass slipper in a special case! Then it was time to meet Rapunzel!
Teaching the kids how to swing a frying pan
They also got to see Snow White again!
Once the kids glimpsed the carousel they were determined to ride. Thankfully, the line for it wasn’t too long either and so we got to hop on and let everyone take a spin. The kids loved it!
When we noticed that Belle’s castle was behind us (in the New Fantasyland) we had to get a picture with it in the background!
It was time for our Winnie the Pooh fast passes by then and boy were we glad that we had them! The line was huge already for the ride but we walked straight up to the front. Charlotte loved getting to sit in a honey pot and loved all the special effects on the ride. James was just mesmerized by the whole thing.
We continued on into Fantasyland and were disappointed to see that the teacups were being worked on. They ended up being stopped the entire time we were there which was sad for me but the kids didn’t care. Since that FastPass wasn’t going to pan out I got on my phone real quick and updated it to the Magic Carpets for later in the afternoon. And then we headed to Dumbo where, sadly, I didn’t get any pictures. But Charlotte loved making her elephant go up and down and I think James enjoyed it too when it wasn’t on the highest setting.
Jason had been talking to Charlotte about the rides and the roller coasters since before we left and had actually shown the kids videos he found online of some of the rides, specifically the Barnstormer. So Charlotte was determined to ride it, but I was a little unsure if her big talking would hold out once she saw the ride and got to the front of the line.
I shouldn’t have second guessed her determination….she LOVED it! As soon as she and Jason got off she wanted to go get back in line with me so that I could go on it with her. We face timed my parents while we were waiting in line and she was literally bouncing up and down squealing because she was so excited about the ride! The only way we got her to leave was to talk her in to going and seeing mermaid Ariel….
Going into the “New” Fantasyland area where Gaston’s Tavern and Ariel’s Grotto are was nice. We had to wait a few minutes to see mermaid Ariel but the kids loved getting to sit with her. And she called them her “Guppies” which thrilled Charlotte to no end.
We meandered through the other side of the park heading towards the Magic Carpets and knew that we were close to the Tiana area so we got in line to meet another princess.
Even though Charlotte’s never seen her movie I think she enjoyed meeting Tiana because Tiana went on and on about her best friend being named Charlotte!
After meeting Tiana it was time for our lunch at the Crystal Palace with Winnie the Pooh and his friends! At this point Jason and I were over character meals and the setting at the Crystal Palace isn’t the best. There ended up being such a huge line for the so-so buffet that I fixed Jason’s plate along with mine because it would have taken him another 30 minutes to go wait in line himself. I was afraid that I would miss the characters but it took them a while to make their rounds too. James, again, wanted to stay far away from the characters but Charlotte jumped right up to give them all hugs!
Even though Jason and I were over the character meals and none of them were at ideal times for our family, I still think that they’re a good way to see characters without waiting in line. Plus it’s nice to sit for a little while! After a very long lunch and with some time before our Magic Carpet fast passes, we headed to the Walt Disney World Railroad.
We rode the train all the way around the park and it was the perfect thing to do to take a break. James was fascinated with the train part and the scenery and it was nice to just sit down for a little bit and relax. I think James could have stayed on the train the rest of the afternoon but we had more fun to do!
We got on Aladdin’s Magic Carpets and got to fly some more. If you asked James when we got home what his favorite ride was he would say that the magic carpets were his favorite. It’s basically the same ride as Dumbo just in a different vehicle.
By this time though we were all exhausted. We headed back to the hotel thinking we might get back out to Downtown Disney or something that night after resting but decided instead to head to the pool. James didn’t want anything to do with the water so he snuggled in my lap and watched Mickey while Charlotte continued her dare deviling ways from the morning and conquered the huge twisty water slide!
We ate dinner at the casual dining restaurant next to the pool, The Mara, and then got to bed early to try and recoup some of the missed nap times and late bedtimes/early risings! Off to Animal Kingdom tomorrow!
