Magic In the Magic Kingdom

These February Disney trips were a stroke of genius, an idea devised by Adam during the fall of 2011. He knows how depressed I get with too much cold and snow (although I have to admit this winter hasn’t been that bad) and he knows Disney World is the happiest place ever for me. So, off we go, every year, to enjoy a piece of summer in the winter months.

I’ve decided to break the trip report into parts because it will just be too long for me to do all of the days in one post. So, without further ado, let’s start with Part One: Magic In the Magic Kingdom.

Please note: Adam and I are the worst tourists ever. We don’t tour the park in sections; we criss cross back and forth several times throughout the day. I like to get the exercise, and we do most stuff on whims. So those of you who have been and are wondering WTF, that’s why our day is all over the place.

We started off by waking up at Disney O’Clock (3:15am) for a trip to Midway Airport. The cab was picking us up at 3:45am. By the time we got through security, we both had time to scarf down a hash brown before it was time to board! (Surprisingly, I hadn’t been already up from the night before! I actually tried to get a decent night’s sleep so I wouldn’t be half out of my mind at Magic Kingdom like I typically am on the first day of my Disney trips.)

I slept most of the flight, but I do remember waking up and eating some of Adam’s cinnamon roll graham crackers because well, I had to. I also remember having to pee constantly and being really cold. I was SO looking forward to that 80F waiting for me in Orlando!

After a freezing cold ride on the Magical Express to our resort Port Orleans French Quarter, and a wait behind some slow pokes in the check-in line, we dropped off our carry-on bags with luggage storage, I did a bit of freelance work, and we were in Magic Kingdom by noon. Of course Adam was already hungry! So we had lunch at Columbia Harbour House, stopping to take pix along the way, and to listen to the band.

After lunch, we headed to the new Fantasyland to see what we could see. And this is what we saw!

He told me to put my arms around him and try not to faint. I heard him ask the girl behind me if she liked his teeth. My what a guy, that Gaston.

Fantasyland was super crowded, so we looked around a bit and headed to Tomorrowland. Had to do Carousel of Progress, because they have this awesome kitchen scene:

I want that kitchen.

We puttered around Tomorrowland before popping into some gift shops. I love taking pictures of merchandise and snacks.

I think this popcorn is so pretty. We saw three people spill their popcorn during our vacation. I’m sure the gulls were happy about that.

These Mickey Butt mugs crack me up.

We headed back to Liberty Square for Haunted Mansion and Hall of Presidents and random wildlife.

HAD to do it’s a small world. Had to.

It was in here that Adam and I wondered what it’s like when they turn on these massive attractions. Does it start off all slow and warped like a record on a record player, or do things just instantly light up and they’re good to go? And none of those puppets were dusty. That means there are people TO DUST ALL THE PUPPETS in those rides. HOLY CRAP.

After it’s a small world, we headed to Be Our Guest for dinner. OH MAN. They really do it up, you guys. They escort parties in one by one. And they open these big doors. IT’S JUST LIKE WALKING INTO THE MOVIE. It’s beautiful!!

We ate in the West Wing.

It was dark and a thunderstorm roared through every few minutes. Torn tapestries and paintings were everywhere. It was definitely amazing.

On top of all that, the Beast pops in the bow to his guests. And the food was super yummy. I had steak with pommes frites and truffle mayonaise. Yummy! 🙂 For dessert, they roll a cart to the table with all of the selections right in front of you. I had a lemon meringue cupcake. Delicious. We also got to try The Grey Stuff.

The Grey Stuff really IS delicious. But only for people who are having celebrations. And maybe for people who ask nicely but probably not usually. We were lucky. Personally, I think everyone should get to try it, but it’s not my restaurant so….

We met our host after dinner.

These guys were talking but I have no clue what they were saying. One of them was sleeping and snoring pretty loudly.

I feel VERY lucky that we got a chance to experience Be Our Guest. The place is booked for a solid six months, and the lunch line usually runs at least 45 minutes during peak times. I am not sure when we’ll get there again, but I’m glad we got to do it once.

All in all, a very lovely day at the Magic Kingdom. The weather was hot and muggy and I loved it. I was wearing shorts and a tee-shirt. Even though I had to do some work, it was nice to sit on a bench in the Magic Kingdom rather than a freezing cold office. It was way more crowded than I’d like, so most of the rides we love had lines that were way too long, but as we were going to Magic Kingdom later in the week, I didn’t fret about it.

Tune in next time when I talk about our AWESOME DAY at Animal Kingdom, where we got to see a baby elephant poop and pee, we got to watch an injured turtle get a bandage change, and we got to ride Expedition Everest FIVE TIMES.

See ya! 🙂