Day 4 - Tuesday, Oct 4
Got up at 6:30am so we could get ready to be at Mk at park opening. We all got dressed in our matching shirts I made with HCOE & Mickey on them. Magic Kingdom was packed by the entrance & it became very crowded as the day went on, more so than we had anticipated for this time of year. I think it was due to the fact that a lot of NYs took there kids out of school since we had 2 days off that week for Rosh Hashana., the British had a school break (loved hearing their accents), MNSSHP, & the F&WF going on. We have always gone in December or November so between the heat, constant rain, & the increased crowds we were a little surprised, but we navigated the parks very well with a good touring plan, utilizing fast pass, & going on less popular rides mid day. We never waited more than 10 minutes (except for one ride on Splash Mountain on our 1st night but there was no planning that night because we arrived late & were so excited just to be there). O.k. back to park opening..as soon as the park opened, I ran to Tink's treasures to try again to let my 4 yr old dd wake Tinkerbell. I didn't let know about it so she would not be dissapointed if it didn't happen. There's alot of people who know about it now so it's not that easy to do! Well i ran up there & guess what? Another family beat me too it so I said "thanks anyway" and started to leave the store. Just then a CM asked me I could wait a few minutes & she would let my dd wake Tink...Wow!! What pixie dust & what thoughtful CM's...I didn't even ask, I just figured it wouldn't happen. Well we did wait & then they called my little one over & she got to wake Tink..It was very cute & she got a little certificate. I didn't know how much it would mean to her but all day she kept saying she could hear Tinkerbell following her because she got to wake her up!
I met some DISers at Buzz Lightyear & in Fantasyland. It was great to meet them. We also got a lot of nice compliments on the homemade shirts. People asked where I got them & then when I told them that I made them they were surprised! My DH is such a good guy he wore his shirts too (not that thrilled at first) but some lady called him cute so after that he was o.k. with wearing the shirts & getting compliments! Ha ha! We got to see the new IASW. Besides the white scenery in the beginning the only other difference I could spot were the new paint & costumes on the dolls. Also noticed that the clown that holds the sign help was gone. My kids love this ride so we did it a few times. Since my little dd is 4 a stop at Ariels grotto was a must. We waited 45 minutes to see her. The shy opened up & poured like mad on us in line but my kids were soaked from the sprinkles there that it really was too late for ponchos. Finally we got to take pictures & get an autograph from Ariel. My kids (even Katie my 9 year old) was amazed at her. She chatted with them for awhile asking if they has swam all the way from NY.
We ate lunch at Pirates & Perico. Super crowded but we found a seat. Lunch was o.k cheeseburgers & the kids got grilled chicken with carrot & celery sticks. We couldnt finish our dessert (peanut butter & chocolate cake-only one choice) so we gave them to a group at the table next to us who didnt have an desserts. They were so thankful. I love doing stuff like that, especially at Disney! We got a great spot at the 3pm parade right in Frontierland but since the rain was coming down so hard we saw a abbreviated version lucky Mary Poppins, she had her umbrella!
It was then up to Toontown for all the fun up there, Mickeys house(Katie was very surprised to see Mickey is still working on his kitchen!), Minnies house, & Goofys Barnstorming roller coaster (boy that ride it short!). As always its a little hectic inside Minnies kitchen but I just had to get a picture of my kids in front of the fridge filled with cheese. I take a picture there every time we go & its fun to see the kids in the same spot as they grow. We caught Cinderellabration. Wonderful to see all the princesses together, but again very crowded. After some more rides we had a wonderful dinner at Crystal Palace. Our server was great, refilled our glasses before we could ask & was very attentive for a buffet meal. The food was better than Chef Mickeys. Pooh didnt stand in the middle of the restaurant like he used to. He came around with Eeyore, Piglet, & Tigger. I dont know why but Tigger has always (this & previous trips) spent a lot of time goofing around with my kids. He stayed the longest & we got some great pictures. The dinner was one of the better of our dining experiences overall. Crystal Palace never disappoints. After Spectro & Wishes we tried to get on the bus line but it was a madhouse..decided to get a cab instead.. When we arrived at our resort we saw Bob Jackson at the piano. We stood for awhile to see him singing but it was crowded we left. He got the whole place singing. Looked like a great time. Daniels tooth was dangling by a thread so he was hoping it would come out before we left. It did...in his sleep I think he must have swallowed it but we discovered that the next morning.
Got up at 6:30am so we could get ready to be at Mk at park opening. We all got dressed in our matching shirts I made with HCOE & Mickey on them. Magic Kingdom was packed by the entrance & it became very crowded as the day went on, more so than we had anticipated for this time of year. I think it was due to the fact that a lot of NYs took there kids out of school since we had 2 days off that week for Rosh Hashana., the British had a school break (loved hearing their accents), MNSSHP, & the F&WF going on. We have always gone in December or November so between the heat, constant rain, & the increased crowds we were a little surprised, but we navigated the parks very well with a good touring plan, utilizing fast pass, & going on less popular rides mid day. We never waited more than 10 minutes (except for one ride on Splash Mountain on our 1st night but there was no planning that night because we arrived late & were so excited just to be there). O.k. back to park opening..as soon as the park opened, I ran to Tink's treasures to try again to let my 4 yr old dd wake Tinkerbell. I didn't let know about it so she would not be dissapointed if it didn't happen. There's alot of people who know about it now so it's not that easy to do! Well i ran up there & guess what? Another family beat me too it so I said "thanks anyway" and started to leave the store. Just then a CM asked me I could wait a few minutes & she would let my dd wake Tink...Wow!! What pixie dust & what thoughtful CM's...I didn't even ask, I just figured it wouldn't happen. Well we did wait & then they called my little one over & she got to wake Tink..It was very cute & she got a little certificate. I didn't know how much it would mean to her but all day she kept saying she could hear Tinkerbell following her because she got to wake her up!
I met some DISers at Buzz Lightyear & in Fantasyland. It was great to meet them. We also got a lot of nice compliments on the homemade shirts. People asked where I got them & then when I told them that I made them they were surprised! My DH is such a good guy he wore his shirts too (not that thrilled at first) but some lady called him cute so after that he was o.k. with wearing the shirts & getting compliments! Ha ha! We got to see the new IASW. Besides the white scenery in the beginning the only other difference I could spot were the new paint & costumes on the dolls. Also noticed that the clown that holds the sign help was gone. My kids love this ride so we did it a few times. Since my little dd is 4 a stop at Ariels grotto was a must. We waited 45 minutes to see her. The shy opened up & poured like mad on us in line but my kids were soaked from the sprinkles there that it really was too late for ponchos. Finally we got to take pictures & get an autograph from Ariel. My kids (even Katie my 9 year old) was amazed at her. She chatted with them for awhile asking if they has swam all the way from NY.
We ate lunch at Pirates & Perico. Super crowded but we found a seat. Lunch was o.k cheeseburgers & the kids got grilled chicken with carrot & celery sticks. We couldnt finish our dessert (peanut butter & chocolate cake-only one choice) so we gave them to a group at the table next to us who didnt have an desserts. They were so thankful. I love doing stuff like that, especially at Disney! We got a great spot at the 3pm parade right in Frontierland but since the rain was coming down so hard we saw a abbreviated version lucky Mary Poppins, she had her umbrella!
It was then up to Toontown for all the fun up there, Mickeys house(Katie was very surprised to see Mickey is still working on his kitchen!), Minnies house, & Goofys Barnstorming roller coaster (boy that ride it short!). As always its a little hectic inside Minnies kitchen but I just had to get a picture of my kids in front of the fridge filled with cheese. I take a picture there every time we go & its fun to see the kids in the same spot as they grow. We caught Cinderellabration. Wonderful to see all the princesses together, but again very crowded. After some more rides we had a wonderful dinner at Crystal Palace. Our server was great, refilled our glasses before we could ask & was very attentive for a buffet meal. The food was better than Chef Mickeys. Pooh didnt stand in the middle of the restaurant like he used to. He came around with Eeyore, Piglet, & Tigger. I dont know why but Tigger has always (this & previous trips) spent a lot of time goofing around with my kids. He stayed the longest & we got some great pictures. The dinner was one of the better of our dining experiences overall. Crystal Palace never disappoints. After Spectro & Wishes we tried to get on the bus line but it was a madhouse..decided to get a cab instead.. When we arrived at our resort we saw Bob Jackson at the piano. We stood for awhile to see him singing but it was crowded we left. He got the whole place singing. Looked like a great time. Daniels tooth was dangling by a thread so he was hoping it would come out before we left. It did...in his sleep I think he must have swallowed it but we discovered that the next morning.
