Let The Memories Begin! – Day 11
Today is our first day at Magic Kingdom. We had to set off early as I have FastPass+ booked from 9 to 10am. What we did not expect was that it would take much longer to get to Magic Kingdom than expected. After we parked our car, we boarded the tram to take us to the Ticketing and Transportation Center. We have read about this before but did not find out more. Unlike all the other parks, the entrance to Magic Kingdom is not here. We would have to board either the monorail or ferry to take us to the entrance. We chose to take the ferry as the line at the monorail was very long. The ride was very relaxing. Realising that we could not make it to our first FastPass+, I quickly accessed our mobile app to change it to later part of the afternoon.
Magic Kingdom is exceptionally crowded. It must be due to the late park closing hour today at 1am, The park would be closed 4 out of 7 nights early for the Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. We have ordered the tickets while in Singapore and went over to the Guest Relations to pick it up. We maneuvered along Main Street and stopped at the Confectionery to get a quick breakfast. Jarod had a cookie to share while Ashley chose a Mickey Cake Pop. We used our Snack Credits for them.
We made our way to the new Fantasyland for our next FastPass+ Under The Sea – Journey of The Little Mermaid. We descended below the waves for a splashy musical adventure with Ariel. Ashley loved the scenes of Ariel and Eric together in the boat and their wedding. She likes the happily ever after ending. We grabbed a FastPass for Peter Pan Flight which has an insane wait time of 80 minutes (Zul : we waited less than 5 minutes) and went over to It’s A Small World next. This is a delightful boat tour that took us around the globe. We have taken this several times before in other Disney and ZA rated it top for his rest stop. We had the front row this time and still enjoyed it.
It is now time for us to get to Be Our Guest restaurant for lunch. It is Quick Service for lunch and no reservation accepted. However, I have a FastPass booked that allows us to go directly to the podium. ZA couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the long line of people waiting to be seated. (Zul: Really long line. More than 1 hour to be seated. Again, we waited less than 5 mins…amazing planning by SF). The wait for them would have been one hour at least. We walked right up and were greeted warmly by the staff. We ordered our food from an interactive kiosk with the tap of our Magic Band. Ashley order Croque Monsieur. Jarod and I ordered Braised Beef while ZA had the Roast Beef Sandwich. We also ordered a French Onion Soup and a Potato Leek Soup to share. We also ordered different cupcakes – The Master (topped with The Grey Stuff), Strawberry Cream Cheese, Triple Chocolate and Lemon Meringue as our dessert. It was so surreal that we finally entered the restaurant after months of looking at the pictures. Ashley wanted to sit at The Ballroom. It was really grand and could see ‘snow’ falling as we looked out of the window. It was amazing that the server could locate us wherever we were seated and arrived with our food in trolleys. We tucked in and the food were oh so good. Although ZA liked his sandwich, he found the bread tough. Jarod and Ashley couldn’t get enough of the Potato Leek Soup. We each have a personal favourite cupcake and Ashley liked The Grey Stuff as she hummed to the song Be Our Guest. After lunch, we walked around the restaurant as we explored the library and The West Wing. The restaurant was remodeled after the movie Beauty And The Beast and they looked so real that Ashley was so afraid of The West Wing. It was dark and housed the rose gallery. We will return here for dinner another night where we can meet The Beast.
Right beside Be Our Guest restaurant was Gaston’s Tavern and he was having a meet and greet. Ashley did stop for a photo with him but refused to let him sign her autograph.
After lunch, we went over to Peter Pan’s Flight. The line was still long but we walked right in with our FastPass. The ride took us to different scenes of Peter Pan aboard a magical ship. It was relaxing but the ride short. Next, ZA walked over to get another FastPass while Ashley and I rode the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel. After which, we walked towards The Main Street to catch the live castle stage show, Dream Along Mickey. Ashley was delighted to see all the princesses with the princes as they graced the stage singing classic Disney songs, such as “Some Day My Prince Will Come,” “Once Upon a Dream” and “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes.” Next, we crossed the stage and walked towards the parade viewing reserved area. We have a FastPass+ booked. We were able to sit comfortably in front of the castle. We enjoyed the colorful floats filled with popular Disney Characters in their festive best at Magic Kingdom. Ashley was thrilled when she was greeted as Princess by cast members.
Next, we rode The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh which took us through the Hundred Acre Wood in an oversized Hunny Pot. As we had some time to spare before our FastPass return window for The Barnstormer, we met Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck for autograph and photos. Then, we took The Barnstormer, a thrilling junior roller coaster.
Our FastPass+ return window opens next for Enchanted Tales With Belle. This is an interactive story adventure featuring Belle, Lumiere and Mrs Potts. We first entered Maurice’s workshop, through a magic mirror, and then into Beast’s library where the audience shares a story with Belle.The audience were also picked to do several roles. Ashley was picked to be Philippe, Belle’s horse. She was so excited she could not stop galloping and neighing. After the act is over, all of the actors get a chance to take photos with Belle and receive a small bookmark as a memento. Ashley enjoyed this experience and wanted to return to do it but the standby time was 50 minutes.
We headed over to Columbia Harbour House, a quick service venue for dinner. Ashley wanted the Macaroni and Cheese from the kid’s menu. Jarod and I ordered Shrimps while ZA ordered Grilled Salmon. The salmon came with rice which we have not had for a while. We had Specialty Cobbler for dessert.
After dinner, we wandered into The Main Street and saw people all lined up along it. We checked the times guide and there was no scheduled show and we wondered if we were missing anything. I approached the cast member and was told these people were waiting for the Main Street Electrical Parade at 9pm. I looked at my watch and it was only 7.30pm and couldn’t believe it. So, to avoid the crowd, we retreated back to Fantasyland and stopped at Rapunzel’s Village. Although this is only a rest stop, Disney has recreated elaborate details from the movie Tangled. Ashley stopped here to change into her Tinkerbell outfit.
We explored Tomorrowland but were too tired to do anything. We were waiting for seating for our Dessert Party at Tomorrowland Terrace Restaurant. I have stalked the reservation for several months before snagging it. We could have dessert at a reserved area of the restaurant and watch Celebrate The Magic and Wishes nighttime spectacular. We had a front row table and were invited to the dessert buffet table. We had tiramisu, creme brulee, tarts,pies, cookies, cakes and ice cream. They were all good.
Soon, Celebrate The Magic, a castle projection show began. The castle transformed itself into all the different favourite scenes of Disney movies. There was a Frozen segment too. Not long after the show ended, Wishes began. It is the largest fireworks display ever presented at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. The show began with Tinkerbell flying out from the castle towards us. We were so excited to see her flying so close by. We watched in awe as the sky exploded with vivid color, sound and gut wrenching emotion above and around Cinderella’s castle. It was truly magnificent!
After Wishes ended, we made our way to The Main Street to find a spot to watch The Main Street Electrical Parade. It features floats and live performers covered in thousands of electronically controlled lights. This is our last activity for the day and returned to the hotel flat out once more.
