Wednesday was a full day at Magic Kingdom - my favorite day!
While I was getting ready, Mya hopped in to comfort Lucy. :)
Before we went, we looked at a couple Disney travel blogs and crowd traffic predictors. We have always taken advantage of Magic Hours (extra hours where the parks are only open to guests staying at Disney resorts) - specifically at Epcot and Magic Kingdom. The advice we listened to this time said DO NOT go to parks on the day of the magic hours because over all the park will be more crowded because more people will go there. We decided to try this theory out. We went to every park on "green" days - supposedly the least crowded days, but we didn't see any difference in the crowds.
For example - the Magic Kingdom opens Tomorrow Land and Fantasyland during extra magic hours. Most people head to Tomorrow Land. During extra magic hours, we have been able to ride every ride in the older section of Fantasyland with no waiting.
Not going on a day with magic hours first of all cuts an hour off your day - strike one.
We did not see any difference in crowds and felt like we had more success on previous trips when we used magic hours - strike two.
EVERYONE reads the blogs and goes to the Peter Pan ride first. - strike three.
We waited in line for 15-20 minutes for Peter Pan when we could have been riding all the other rides in Fantasyland with no waiting. We didn't ride Its A Small World right after because I thought the line wouldn't be bad later - another mistake.
So, here is what we learned - go to the Magic Hours. Disney is crowded all the time. You can't totally avoid the crowds, but you CAN be strategic about where you go first and use fast passes later in the day when the lines to rides are longer. Everyone is not willing to be there early in the morning and the crowds are always lightest first thing in the morning.
If a line is short - ride the ride! Even if you think the line will still be short later!
If you are a type A person you can totally roll with the past few paragraphs. If you are not, then you probably think we are crazy and we have no fun because we are too worried about a schedule. I will admit, we have come a long way in the relaxation category. We have tried to focus on fun and relax if we don't accomplish the whole park. We do not think standing in lines all day is fun. We are willing to get up early and have a game plan if that means we are actually doing things during the day rather than standing in lines. Our method has been successful for us.
Moving on...
As I've said many times before, one of the best things about the Magic Kingdom day is Mickey opening the park. Be at the park 30 minutes before the scheduled opening time so that you can have bags checked and be in line for a good view of Mickey opening the park. This means you have to catch the first bus approximately an hour before the park is scheduled to open. Again...we missed the first bus by about 3 seconds. The bus was still there, but full. But after a light jog from busses, we made it just in time!
After Peter Pan, we headed to Pooh - one of Mya's favorite rides of the trip. This morning was fantastic because Lucy ate breakfast on the bus (thank you organic squeeze baby food!) and was in the Ergo as soon as we stepped off the bus. Because I could ride all the Fantasyland rides with her in the Ergo, she got a solid morning nap.
We love the shirts our friend Holly made!
After Pooh we had fast passes to the new Ariel ride. Thankfully when we got there the workers told us not to use our fast passes because the line was short. The ride is similar to the Nemo ride or Spaceship Earth (the ball) at Epcot - continuous cars to get in. No need for a fast pass.
The Disney Experience App on your phone is a must. I could immediately go on and change our fast passes to something else since we didn't need to use them for Ariel. (Just note, it is harder to do it the day of because there are fewer options and most are late at night.)
After Ariel, the girls wanted to ride Dumbo again.
The waiting area in Dumbo -
Next up - Goofy's Barnstormer. No fast passes needed because the line was short. Chad rode with the girls (again, because Addison was 7 she could ride alone while Chad rode with Mya). He also got a rider swap ticket for me to use later.
We had a few minutes and thought the girls would like to see Mickey, but they weren't interested.
Next up - fast pass to Enchanted Tales with Belle. Its a must for fast pass! The stand by line was 60 minutes.
Each child in the group that wants to participate is assigned a character to play.
Chad was asked to be a guard - how appropriate!
After a little practice, you go into the room for the story with Belle.
Chad's only job was to march in place!
Belle and Lumiere tell the story together. So fun!
Mya playing her part as Chip
Belle talking to Mya
Belle was SO sweet! She wanted to hold Lucy for pictures! I bet she is a mom! We were told other princesses "didn't hold babies."
The guards even got a picture with Belle!
After Belle it was time for lunch. In an ideal world, we would eat lunch before the crowds, around 11:00. We ended up in Liberty Square. There was a little cart selling turkey legs with no line. With our quick service meal plan, the girls and I got 2 turkey legs, chips and drinks (It came with dessert too, but we just got extra chips for later). Yum!
After lunch we were all tired and a little hot, so we headed to what we thought was going to be a relaxing ride on the Riverboat. Unfortunately there are only about 4 seats on the whole boat...
Next, we headed to the Hall of Presidents (another great thing to do while other lines were long!). The first time I had been since I was a kid! Chad took a nap... ;)
Next, we headed back to Fantasyland - Mickey's Philharmagic (our favorite!) and the Carousel.
We had an extra fast pass, so we got a fast pass for Rapunzel and Snow White.
By this time we needed a snack. We made the short trek back to the new Fantasyland to Gaston's tavern. They serve a frozen apple juice with a passion fruit-mango foam. We happened to sit at a table with an outlet so we could charge my phone. The parks have wifi, which is super nice! Using our phones for maps, menus, fast passes, camera, etc... the batteries would die quickly. We took a charger with us each day so we could find places to recharge if needed.
We found some mean stepsisters and stepmother on our walk back!
We had a late afternoon fast pass for Pirates of the Caribbean, so we headed that way.
We ran into our friends the McNeals on our way. How fun to see friends and neighbors at Disney!
After Pirates, Chad and Addison used the last fast pass to ride Thunder Mountain Railroad again while Mya and I grabbed dinner for everyone.
After dinner it was 6:30. I start to get antsy around this time, wanting to get a good spot for the parade. We walked toward the castle to find a place. At 6:45, there was only one other person that had already picked out a spot. This allowed us to get the best place in the park. Next time I will definitely fast pass the parade. With a fast pass, you get a reserved spot and don't have to arrive until 20 minutes before the parade...instead of 2 1/2 hours. We got on the corner of the circle, right in front of the castle. Many blogs will tell you to go to Frontierland where is is less crowded, but that requires you to move before the fireworks, which is a hassle.
Our spot was to the left of the girl with the orange bag in this picture:
After getting a spot, I could relax. I fed Lucy baby food while Chad and Mya went to ride the Astro Orbiter. I have always wanted to ride that, but there is no fast pass and the line is always 30-40 minutes. Chad said it was a really nice ride with a good view.
Next, it was my turn to take the girls. We rode the train around to Fantasyland. I still had the Barnstormer rider swap, so the girls and I could ride. We walked back to Chad. If you want to get a spot on Main Street for the night time parade, you need to get there by 7:30 at the latest. By this time it was packed. Since we were on the corner, no one could sit in front of us, so our girls could sit in the stroller and easily see the parade and the fireworks.
It was a few minutes after 8, so I thought Chad and the girls would have time to ride Its a Small World since we had missed it earlier in the day. They rode it and barely made it back in time! It gets so crowded that after 8:30 its best not to go anywhere if you don't have to.
Time for the parade!
After the parade, there is a 20 minute show where they play videos on the castle - SO COOL!
Then the fireworks start at 10. Mya made it through the parade, but fell asleep immediately after. Lucy was asleep before the parade even started! Again, we were so thankful for 2 strollers so Addison could sit while watching the fireworks and rest on the crowded walk out of the park.
The evenings at the Magic Kingdom are probably our favorite times of the whole trip!
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