Magic Kingdom (Day 5)

We returned yet again to the Magic Kingdom.  We knew it would be crowded today as the park was open from 8:00 AM to midnight, it was the week before Christmas and the weather was gorgeous.

Once again we took the boat from our resort to the park.  Our captain was a pirate and gave pirate hankies to the kids.

We saw Aladdin and Jasmine.

We waited for about 60 minutes for Splash Mountain (the waits for Space Mountain, Anna & Elsa and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train were all 110 minutes+!).  I liked this view of the Frontierland Train Station.

After Splash Mountain, we weren't dying to wait in more lines, and while Alison and the girls used the rider swap, I staked out a great spot for the parade.  We typically avoid the parades, but on a busy day like today it seemed like as good of place to spend our time as anywhere.

After the parade we waited in line for Enchanted Tales with Belle.  The kids star in a quick re-enactment of the day when Belle and Beast fell in love.  Kate was selected to play Maurice, I don't remember what part Ada played, and Lyla was an extra.  After the quick play, Belle spends a moment with each child and takes a picture.We had never been to this attraction and the girls ended up loving it.

Lyla rock climbing while we wait.

Kate as Maurice.

Kate with Belle.

Lyla with Belle.  She got the whole audience cooing over her as she showed Belle her red hair and pigtails and her twinkletoe shoes.

Ada with Belle.

We finally found the best treats in the park.  Big Top Souvenirs in Fantasyland (across from the Dumbo rides) has a big selection of treats.  We got chocolate dipped Rice Krispies treats with M&Ms or toffee, but they also had fudge, cupcakes, chocolates and lots of other treats.

We had fastpasses for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train which allowed us to bypass the long lines. It's a decent ride. Not too thrilling of a roller coaster, but you do go slowly through the mine as the dwarfs sing and the jewels sparkle.  It fits well at the park.

We went to the Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor.  It's an interactive comedy show hosted by Mike Krzyzewski (or whatever his name is) where they spotlight and interact with the audience.  As we were sitting down my picture was put up on the screen with a caption that I didn't see in time.  They told the story of Monster's Inc. showing people in the audience and Lyla (sitting on my lap) was shown as boo, and then Ada and Kate were shown on the screen to help with the jokes.  I was able to catch some of it on video. It was a packed house, but it was fun to be so involved.

We made sure to stop and see Mickey at the front of the park. We heard there was an animatronic Mickey who talks to you and greets you by name, but we were stuck with the regular old Mickey in his magic costume.  Mickey #5.

Last of all, we couldn't leave the park without getting a picture in front of Elsa's ice castle. It looks spectacular!