Monday, Dec 28th
Hi Everyone,
we are back from our Morning/Afternoon at the Magic Kingdom. We got quite a bit accomplished mostly because we got to the park extremely early. We arrived at the gates of the Magic Kingdom at 7:45AM with very few people on Main St. Thank goodness for breakfast in the club lounge. It saved us quite a bit of time.
A pretty quiet Main St.
An even quieter Frontierland
As we walked through the Main St. train station a Cast Member was handing out 20% off lunch coupons. You had to use these coupons before 11:30AM or after 3:00PM to get the 20% discount. I should also mention all of the shops are still offering a 20% discount to AP holders for general merchandise.
Here's the coupon handed to me for the 20% lunch purchase
Our first stop was over in Fantasyland where all the attractions were walk-on. Later in the morning we walked over to Frontierland and got fastpasses for Big Thunder. By 10:00AM it was obvious the crowds were growing rapidly. We had already accomplished what we wanted except for our fastpass attractions (Big Thunder and Buzz Lightyear).
Here's a photo of the crowds streaming into the Magic Kingdom
Here is one bit of information I recently discovered on a tour. Over in Liberty Square there is a replica of the Liberty Bell located in Philadelphia. Each state recieved one of the replicas in 1976 (200 year anniversary of the U.S.A.). 50 replicas were made; however, Pennsylvania did not need their replica since they have the original. Walt Disney World asked for the unused replica and it sits in the center of Liberty Square today. So, baiscally Florida has 2 of the replicas.
The replica liberty bell located in Liberty Square
At 11:15AM we decided it was time to stake out our Christmas parade spot on Main St. I had already seen this parade during DAP while many of us attended the Very Merry Christmas Party. I must admit, there isn't much of a difference between the Christmas party and what you can see the days between Christmas and New Years. Same parade, same fireworks, same shows the only difference is you get hot chocolate, cookies, a dance party, and it snows on Main St. It sort of makes you wonder why you are paying so much for a hard-ticketed party. I honestly can't eat $50 worth of cookies and hot chocolate.
Anyway, the parade was very good. Here are some photos of the parade.
After the parade ended we headed to Adventurland for Anna's Pirate League reservation. The Pirate League gives children and adults the opportunity to be made up in pirate costumes and make-up. It's located right next to Pirates of the Caribbean. Currently, you can save 50% off all 3 pirate packages by being a Disney world resort guest. A great deal!
You start off in an entry room with a pirate who has you roll 2 dice and asks your child their birthday. The combination of the 2 (roll of the dice and birthday) assigns a pirate name to the guest. This is your name throughout your adventure. Next you are brought into the room where you are made up and turned into a pirate. Anna chose an Empress package which included painted nails, bandana, make-up, a tattoo, 5 X 8 photo and sword. Once you are made-up you are lead into a 3rd room where you get your photo taken and you can find a burried treasure. The burried treasure is really a pirate coin necklace which you get to keep.
I thought this was a very good experience; especially for the $25 we paid for it. I highly recommend it.
Here's a photo of Anna getting her make-up done during the session.
After we finished at the Pirate League we headed out of the Magic Kingdom. Walking through Main St. we saw a couple of Magic Kingdom staples.
The Dapper Dans!
The Main St. Piano Player near Casey's Corner
That was our day so far. We got way more accomplished than I could have imagined considering the time of year. Later we hope to head back over to the Animal Kingdom for evening Extra Magic Hours, but I'm not sure if we will make it over. If not, we may spend some time outside at the resort's fire pit. It's going to be a cool evening and spending some time next to a fire sounds like a good idea.
More to come!
Aaron, dude, you're slacking!! 
