I have decided to end my 30 Days of Disney series with the posts I wrote several months ago when we were visiting the parks. I wrote a post per park, so tonight it is all about The Magic Kingdom.
There is something special about the Magic Kingdom, from the minute you walk under the railroad and on to Main Street a feeling of happiness comes over you. From the ice cream vendor to the monorail driver to Sleeping Beauty, each cast member goes out of their way to make your day magical.
Day 3 started early as we left the house at 7:45 am for the Magic Kingdom. We purchased our Armed Forces Salute tickets and were pleasantly surprised when they sold us all six tickets for $99 each. The promotion allows for five $99 tickets, but they sold us the sixth one for $99 too.
We arrived in the park a few minutes after nine. My first Disney tip is to get there early. The earlier you arrive, the less crowded the park. We were able to ride Snow White, Pooh, Teacups, and the Tomorrowland Speedway before 10 am.
We then headed to Toontown to visit the Princesses. If you want to see the fairies, get there right when it opens at 10 am before it opens. By the time we got there at 10:15 the line was already 60 minutes long. My girls were not interested in the fairies so we waited about 5 minutes to visit Belle, Aurora, and Cinderella.
Second Disney tip: Get a Fast Pass! This saved us so much time. We ended up getting fast passes for Buzz Lightyear, Space Mountain (which is now under renovation), Thunder Mountain, and Peter Pan. The longest we waited with the fast pass was about 10 minutes, but the people without the fast past were waiting an hour.
Third Disney tip: Eat a huge breakfast before you get to the park and pack snacks and water. I am not sure what Disney’s food policy is, but we took some granola bars and cheerios for snacks in our backpack and when they checked it they didn’t say anything. Eating a large breakfast allows you to delay lunch. Lunchtime and parade times are the best time to go on rides.
We ate lunch at a place called the Harbor House. It is between Fantasyland and Liberty Square. It is one of the few places you can eat a semi-healthy lunch at the park. It is also less crowded than a lot of the more well known places and has ample seating. The kids had macaroni and cheese, apple slices and grapes. I had a tuna salad on wheat and it was as good as Panera. The total cost for our family of 8 was $50. Now I realize that is not cheap, but the kids ate fruit, drank milk (not soda) and everyone was full. We ate lunch late enough so that we didn’t have to eat dinner at the park, so I thought we got a good deal. On the park map is restaurant is listed as serving fish baskets and soups, but there is more to choose from on the menu. It is worth checking out.
About 7:30 pm we were all pretty tired so we decided to skip the fireworks (we can see them from my in-laws backyard anyway) and crowds and leave before the park closed at 8pm. This was a great idea for our family because we made it from Tomorrowland to our car in about 25 minutes.
We have Epcot and Animal Kingdom coming up next. We have only been to Animal Kingdom twice so I am excited to check it out.
Teacups
The Step Sisters and Mother
One of the step sisters went to go visit our son, who did not want to have his picture taken with her.
Tomorrowland Speedway- where you don’t need a license to drive.
Warming up to Cinderella
A family favorite- Buzz!
You are never too old for Mr. Lightyear….
Our relaxing lunch at the Harbor House, overlooking Thunder Mountain.
Where’s Jack Sparrow when you need him?
Magic Carpets (this ride was a favorite!)
Winding down on the carousel.
Miss McFarden says
CAPTAIN! CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow! Haha. I really like these pictures. 😀
Amy De La Garza says
I have to ask, where do your in-laws live that they can see fireworks from their backyard? I am not asking for their address or anything (I’m not a stalker, I promise!) but we would really love to relo to the Orlando area in a few years, and I didn’t realize there was much housing that close that wasn’t strictly timeshare/vacation rental. Is this community a year-round property or are they just vacationing there?
Thanks a lot, and enjoy your vacation! We visited Disney in ’06 for my daughter’s 5th and son’s 13th BDs. It was amazing. Can’t wait to go back!
TheHappyHousewife says
They live off of CR 535 in Windermere. There are several communities that people live in year round. It is beautiful out here. I am not sure how much things cost, but there seems to be a wide variety of homes.
momstheword says
I’m glad you’re having fun! Did you know that you can use the fastpass all day long? You don’t have to make it back by the intended time. Many people don’t know that. We did it the whole time we were there.
I noticed your kids are dressed in similar colors. We did that with our kids too. When they were little it made it easier to keep an eye on them if I was looking for blue shirts or black shorts or something.
Judy says
Would love to get your opinion on this. What do you think is more economical for a larger family (there is 7 of us)—-stay ON Disney or rent a house for a week in Florida. Would love to hear you opinion. We have never been. My MIL lives about an hour from Disney. Staying with her is not an option.
Thanks!
Mikki says
Looks like your having a GREAT time!! And the crowds look low!!
Have fun!
Nancy says
Wow! Thanks for sharing the pictures. I almost feel like I was there with y’all. It’s great that you’re able to stay so close to the parks. I’ll have to check out that restaurant next time we go. I don’t think $50 is too much for that many people at Disney. I’m glad you guys are having fun!
Lauren@Baseballs&Bows says
I am enjoying reading about your trip! Another tip – Toontown usually opens before the listed opening time. In November, we were waiting when they opened it at 9:45 and didn’t have to wait to see the Fairies. By the time we came out, the wait was 60 minutes, and it wasn’t even 10 yet!
Have a wonderful day tomorrow!
Stephanie says
OH WHAT FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MaryBeth @ FourSillySisters says
I’m thoroughly enjoying the Disney posts! My DH is deployed to Iraq now, but hopefully he’ll be home in July. I’d love to go and take our girls in the fall, but don’t know if they are really old enough… the oldest will be 4 in March and the three little ones won’t be 3 until August. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks again for the great tips!
Amy Walton says
I got really sick on those teacups. My fave is still Peter Pan’s Flight. I love that ride!
Sherry says
Oooh, it looks like y’all are having a blast!! 😀
Melinda says
I realize that I am really late on this, Tina, but I wanted to let you know that I took my family to Disney this past week to meet some friends, and it was better than I’d ever expected! I am a Florida native and I’d been to Disney a few times as a kid, but I enjoyed it so much more as an adult. I really got swept away in the magic!
We also ate at the Harbor House, and we rode the rides you pictured! Anyway, it’s a small world (pun intended), and I think it’s awesome that you and your family were able to go.