Let The Memories Continue! – Day 8
The rain from last night continued into the morning. We relied on the weather forecast, which was really accurate especially with the minutecast to plan our day. There will be light rain this morning and the weather should clear by noon.
We made our way to Magic Kingdom. When we arrived, we immediately headed to Sleepy Hollow to get Funnel Cake as our breakfast. We tucked in to the delish piping hot snack. We were satisfied and headed to Fantasyland for our first FP+ of the day- The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. We felt that the speed of the the ride was slower and wondered if they slowed it down due to the weather. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the ride once again gazing at the amazing animatronic and the shiny diamonds. ZA would try to take some pictures during the ride on our next visit.
It was time to head towards the Princess Fairytale Hall. According to the hall’s storyline, Princess Fairytale Hall is a gift from the King to Cinderella, and acts as a place where she and other princesses can greet subjects. Stone walls, ornate chandeliers, and plenty of princess portraits line the walls of Princess Fairytale Hall. Here, you can get to meet Cinderella and Rapunzel or Anna and Elsa. It was clear who the popular princessses were, with Cinderella and Rapunzel only having a 20 minute wait while the posted wait time Anna and Elsa was 100 minutes.We stood in line first for Cinderella and Rapunzel. Before arriving into the princess chamber, we marveled at Cinderella’s glass slipper, glimmering brightly before we were ushered into the royal chambers. Ashley enjoyed talking to both the princesses and had photos with them.
As we exited, we went to the FP+ area to meet Elsa and Anna. This is a highly coveted FP+ which we had booked more than 60 days in advance. We could not imagine standing in line that long to meet them since we had done that last year in Epcot. We scanned our Magic Bands and walked right in. Unlike in Epcot where we met both Anna and Elsa together, we met them separately, first Elsa, then Anna. Both Elsa and Anna were friendly and Anna asked Ashley who was dressed in ‘Elsa’ if she was the one setting out the cold and wanted to take her to the North Mountain. We had a family picture with the princesses this time. (ZA : Ashley is in Elsa costume)
It was lunch time and we headed over once again to Columbia Harbour House, our favourite quick service restaurant. Jarod ordered the fish and Chicken Platter while ZA and I decided to try their famous Lobster Roll. Ashley wanted Mac and Cheese but since it was not available in adult portion, we used a snack credit to get one more portion. She has good appetite here. We all had the Seasonal Cobbler for dessert. The Lobster Roll was delicious, the roll was soft and filled with real chunks of lobster. It was definitely a good alternative to the usual theme park fare. (ZA : The peach cobbler is quite good too)
After lunch, the rain stopped. We went over to Fantasyland where we enjoyed an interactive story adventure featuring Belle and Lumiere. Guests were magically transported from Maurice’s cottage to the Beast’s library for a delightful storytelling experience and may even be invited to play a part in the story. Ashley had already in mind which role she wanted to land. When the cast member asked for a roar, she roared with all her might that even he was frightened. Yes, she was selected for the role of the Beast which she wanted, This is the best role where the ‘Beast’ got to dance with Belle, At the end of the story, Belle posed for a photo with her and presented her a special bookmark.
We wanted to catch Dream Along With Mickey which is a musical show that celebrated the magic of dreams next. We waited in front of Cinderella’s castle but the show was cancelled due to technical difficulties. As there was not much time left before the Festival of Fantasy Parade, we decided to cross over to our reserved section (for FP+ holders) to watch the parade. 
We bought a hot chocolate which comes in a souvenir mug to enjoy in this cool weather. New for 2014, this daytime parade brings vibrantly costumed characters and new music to a daily procession of innovative floats in Magic Kingdom. There are more that 100 live performers accompanying floats based on The Little Mermaid, Brave, Tangled, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty (along with a 26-foot-tall Maleficent in dragon form), princesses (including Anna and Elsa from Frozen), Mickey and Minnie on an airship, and more! The most impressive float was that of the fire-breathing dragon. Ashley also enjoyed a special moment when one of the dwarfs stopped and took her hand. It happened too quickly, we did not figure out which dwarf he was. She was elated.
We took a break after the parade. ZA got some Corn Dog Nuggets from Casey’s Corner while I walked over to Plaza Ice Cream Palour and ordered the famous The ‘Plaza’ Ice Cream Sundae – Hot Fudge, Whipped Cream, and a Cherry served in a freshly made Waffle Bowl with choice of two hand-scoops of Ice Cream. I picked the traditional Vanilla and Chocolate. It was indeed a huge bowl and what a good use of a snack credit! We enjoyed our snacks there with a pianist playing cheery pieces at the background.
Our activities in the afternoon included riding Splash Mountain, followed by the Walt Disney World Railroad. We embarked on a relaxing 1.5-mile scenic tour onboard an authentic steam-powered train to take in the picturesque scenery. We alighted at Fantasyland and rode The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh where we traveled through Hundred Acre Wood in an oversized Hunny Pot and immersed in the stories of Winnie the Pooh.
Time passes very quickly and it was soon evening and time for ‘A Frozen Holiday Wish’. This show features Anna and Elsa on the Castle Forecourt Stage. With special appearances by rugged mountain man Kristoff and lovable snowman Olaf, the show culminates in Queen Elsa using her incredible powers to present a gift to everyone in the kingdom, transforming Cinderella Castle into a glimmering ice palace for the holidays.
We walked over to The Crystal Palace for our Buffet With Character dinner with The Hundred Acre Wood friends next. The decor is Victorian elegance with a 1904 World’s Fair-feel and offer wonderful views of Cinderella Castle, Main Street USA, and the entrance to Adventureland. Visitors are seated on either side of the restaurant, with the buffet in the center. Pooh and his friends are celebrating “Friendship Day” and have several homemade decorations up for the party. During the meal, everyone is treated to a meet and greet with Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Eeyore. Periodically, the restaurant will host a kid’s Friendship Day Parade during which all of the children in the restaurant are encouraged to go on a jolly walk — set to a lively Winnie tune — with the characters around the tables. Ashley enjoyed marching around the restaurant, waving to the diners. The food offerings were fabulous with our favourite being the Corn Dog Nuggets from the Pooh Corner for kids. They tasted as good as those from Casey’s Corner. Perhaps they were from the same kitchen. All in all, an enjoyable dining experience.
After dinner, we took a stroll and expected a large crowd as it was Thanksgiving eve. However, it was nowhere near the Christmas crowd we encountered last year.We stopped by to watch Mickey’s PhilharMagic which is a 3D concert movie starring many favorite Disney characters. As we stepped out, Wishes, the nighttime firewiorks was about to begin. We found a spot near Prince Charming Regal Carousel to watch. It was spectacular although we were partially blocked. We went on to rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad next. It was our first time riding it at night. It was a cool experience gazing at the stars as our runaway mine train dashed in and out of desert caverns. We had wanted to stop by Starbucks for coffee on our way back but the line was simply too long. We had an amazing day indeed!
