We woke up early on Wednesday to head to Magic Kingdom. We left the room at 7:50 because we weren't sure how long the bus would take (this was plenty of time). The value hotels don't have loops around the resorts, so once you are on the bus, you are generally ready to head to the park (yes, sometimes the All-Stars share, but the distance is still much less than the loop at POR). I have to say that this was the only thing I didn't like about the moderate level. They are very large, and the loop did add to the travel time. For the most part, however, we had good luck with the buses during our trip, so it wasn't too much of a bother.
We arrived at Magic Kingdom ready for our Mommy-Daughter time. Our plan was to enjoy as many princess/girly attractions as possible, while also hitting our favorites like the Mountains, Peter Pan, Pooh, Haunted Mansion, etc... Of course, the best way to start the day at Magic Kindgom is by arriving for the Welcome Show (one of my favorite parts of any trip), so we got there and waited for the magic to begin!
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My DD also took the time to do a little pin trading. (Can I say how glad I am that most people are honest at WDW? My DD lost her very full pin case TWICE during the trip. It was turned in to Guest Services both times. Thank you to the wonderful people who turned in the pins!)
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Let me take the time to add a side note about the crowds and weather: I think the week before Thanksgiving week is the PERFECT time to go to Disney World. We had our Magic Bands on and Fastpass+ times reserved. We also had Key to the World cards we could use to grab traditional Fastpasses. But, Wednesday-Friday of our trip, we really didn't need any of them. The attractions were practically walk-on. We have been during this week three times, and it has been the same every time. Additionally, the weather is almost always wonderful. It was in the upper 70's or low 80's for most of the trip. We did have a few showers here and there, but nothing that impacted our touring at all (it did rain on Thursday night, but we were not in a park at the time, so we got lucky with that--I felt badly for those with
MVMCP tickets).
Anyway, after the Welcome Show, we headed into the park. We had chosen to purchase Photopass+, so we stopped at the photo center on the way in to pick up our lanyard. Then, we made a beeline for the Merida meet-and-greet. She doesn't start visiting with guests until 9:15, but we knew the line would grow quickly! My DD loved meeting Merida, and she even got to try Merida's bow and arrow.
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After meeting Merida, we went to Space Mountain. I will confess that this is one of two WDW attractions that I refuse to ride now that my children are 7+ (the age requirement for riding without an adult). It is way too jerky for my tastes, and I get motion sickness every time. Never again! (I also skip Mission Space--I'm WAY too claustrophobic. I had a panic attack on that once, so I'll never ride again. Just picture me having a panic attack while my then 5yo son got upset with me for not fulfilling my duties as the pilot. It was quite comical.)
So, DD rode Space Mountain twice without me. I walked her in and then used the chicken exit. She doesn't like the loud noise from the chains on roller coasters, so I love that she has her fingers in her ears in this photo.
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After Space Mountain, we filled our morning with Big Thunder, Splash, Pooh, Peter Pan, and the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. We also visited the new Fairytale Hall to see Rapunzel and Snow White and met Ariel. My daughter is currently performing in a youth theater production of The Little Mermaid, Jr., so she was excited to tell Ariel that she is playing the part of Andrina.
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Next, we headed to Be Our Guest for lunch. We were lucky enough to have Fastpasses for this, and I was so thankful. Although there were no other lines in the park, the line for lunch was at least 30 minutes! We had not eaten there before, so we were very excited to check it out.
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A more accurate reflection of my DD's personality...
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The West Wing was full, so we decided to eat in the beautiful ballroom near the Christmas tree. This was my favorite counter service meal of the entire trip. I had the braised pork, and it was delicious. I also had the strawberry cream cheese cupcake, which was perfection. DD was not as impressed with her macaroni with marinara, but she did enjoy her cupcake with gray stuff (we used a snack credit for this--cupcakes don't come with kids' meals).
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After eating, we wandered around the castle a bit. Thankfully, Beast did not catch us in the West Wing.
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After leaving, we used Fastpass+ to experience Enchanted Tales with Belle (this was a good use of FP+; even though other lines were short, this one still had a wait). We had done Enchanted Tales on a previous trip, but my daughter enjoyed it just as much the second time. She happened to be chosen to be Philippe the horse on both trips!
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And so the first morning was a dashing success! Coming Soon...Mermaids, Attractions, and Princesses...Oh, my!
