Disney World, Part IV -- The Magic Kingdom

In many ways, we saved the best for last.  While I love the campground, the campfire, Downtown Disney and the Monorail, there’s nothing like a full day of Disney magic at the Magic Kingdom.  We spent June 7^th, our last full day at Disney, at the Magic Kingdom.   It was nearly miraculous how the weather cooperated and we got to enjoy a beautiful day at one of our very favorite places.  We generally plan our Magic Kingdom day around the Magic Hours.  Magic Hours are one of the perks that Disney extends to guests staying at a Disney Resort where the parks stay open an extra hour for Disney guests.  Not only did we enjoy an extra hour in the morning, but in true Disney fashion they kept the Magic Kingdom open a full two hours longer to accommodate all the visitors whose vacation had been rainy.  As you can see, Keira and I came equipped with our excited smiles and our sun hats on the bus ride to the park. 

The first thing that we did when we got into the park was find a photographer in striking distance of the castle.  This year, we decided to get closer to the castle instead of trying to grab a photographer on Main Street.  That turned out to be a stroke of genius as we found a photographer who was slightly hidden and had no line.  It was amazing.  He really took his time with us, and snapped quite a few pictures of us, including one of the kids hiding their eyes for a kiss.  Scott and the kids were wonderful sports, as they know that my favorite souvenirs are photos.

After our lucky time with the photographer, we headed over to the Magic Carpets and enjoyed another awesome magical perk --not only was the line wonderfully short, but we got to spend our first ride on the Magic Carpets with Aladdin and Jasmine.  While they didn't share our carpet, they did ride the same time as we did and they walked right by our carpets, such an awesome start to our day.  

J  Riding the carpets together was a fabulous way for all four of us to start the day together.  

After sharing a ride with Aladdin and Jasmine, the next thing we had to do was meet them.   Keira was so excited to meet her first princess, her enthusiasm was wonderfully contagious.  After meeting and posing with Jasmine and Aladdin, Jasmine gave Keira a kiss, which she proudly wore until it rubbed off.

As a family, we rode other rides including: the Jungle Cruise, the rockets and Buzz Lightyear.  

We also rode Dumbo, Little Mermaid and the Barnstormer together, as well as a few others.  As we usually do, we did spend some of the day separated into pairs.  Keira and I rode the carousel while Elijah tried his hand with the The Sword in the Stone. 

Later while Keira and I rode the Little Mermaid ride again, Elijah found his new favorite – Thunder Mountain Railroad.  Thunder Mountain Railroad marked Elijah’s foray into the world of “big boy roller coasters,” and he was hooked.  We wound down our night splitting into new pairs -- Elijah and I rode Splash Mountain and Big Thunder (over and over) while Daddy and Keira went to meet more princesses.   Keira loved meeting Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty.  Her introduction to Sleeping Beauty resulted in some of my favorite photos.  Sleeping Beauty sat down to patiently listen to Keira explain the difference between a crown and a tiara.  According to Keira, I guess tiaras are generally silver, while crowns are generally gold.  J  

I think it was an awesome night for all of us, as Scott got to enjoy some magical Daddy/ Daughter time, while I got to enjoy my big boy on roller coasters.  It felt like a night of firsts.  Elijah and I didn't get back to the tent until about 1 am!