2022 Disney World Vacation Day 5 - Magic Kingdom

Thursday, April 7, we were in the happiest park of all – MAGIC KINGDOM!!!!  Unfortunately, the weather that day wasn’t looking great – the forecast was calling for thunderstorms – but the temp was supposed to max out at 70 degrees, so on the bright side, at least it wasn’t going to be hot and miserable. 

We were up at 6:30 AM and leaving our room at 7:30 AM so we could be in the park before 8:30 AM (the park opened at 9 AM, but we were allowed to enter at 8:30 since we were staying at a Disney resort), and we were armed with ponchos and umbrellas.  Prior to arriving, we had already snagged lightning lane reservations for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Space Mountain, so we were sitting pretty!  

We arrived before rope drop, so we had some time to take pictures in front of the castle…

And we also stopped at a PhotoPass spot to have them take pictures of all of us.

By the time that was done, it was time for rope drop.  We had decided to run to the Storybook Circus area to knock out Barnstormer and Dumbo since they’re so close in proximity, and we managed to do both of those rides in a matter of 20 minutes.  The kids also ate their breakfast bars while we waited.

While we were in line at Dumbo, Olivia’s best friend and her family came through to get in line, and the girls were able to give hugs and take a quick picture before we hopped on the ride.  How special to see your BFF in Magic Kingdom!

After that was done, we ran over to Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid because it was close by, and the line was still very short.  Sure enough, we pretty much walked on to that one as well!  Olivia requested that I take a picture of Ursula, and so I did.  :o)

By the time we jumped off of that, it was time for our LL for Space Mountain.  The kids had never been on it, and I hadn’t been on it since 7th grade when I went with my school’s cross-country team, so none of us knew what to expect.  The queue is indoors and it’s really dark in there, and by the time we reached the front of the line, Olivia had decided she didn’t want to ride.  While I had personally been looking forward to riding it, I had been really worried about Olivia because the seats aren’t side-by-side on that ride, and therefore, you have to sit alone.

On every roller coaster, I’ve always sat next to Olivia so I could put my arm over her and reassure her and let her know I’m there, but in Space Mountain, she would have been all alone in the dark and that seemed like a recipe for disaster.  The second she started fretting about it, I assured her we didn’t have to ride.  When we reached the front of the queue, we told the cast members that she didn’t want to ride, and they escorted the two of us to the exit door and showed us where to go to get to the end of the ride where the boys would be getting off.  She was so relieved.  And I was relieved that she wasn’t going to have to go through that and be traumatized at the end.  Haha.

The boys loved the ride, although, it scared Jacob a little, but he was totally fine, and he was glad he had ridden.  Brian told me that the ride was WAY more intense than he remembered and he said it was definitely a good thing that Olivia didn’t ride, and also probably a good thing that I didn’t either.  Haha.

Just as the boys were getting off of the ride, I noticed a Magic Band laying on the floor, so I turned it in to the cast members, and on the way out, we saw some people running back in, so I asked them if they were missing a Magic Band and they said YES and they were so grateful we’d found it.  I can’t imagine the stress of losing one, y’all!  You can’t do anything without it!

Since we were in the area, we hit up Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, because it still had a short wait.  Olivia and I played against Brian and Jacob, and this time it was our turn to whoop them!!  ;o)  Olivia's is top left, mine is top right, Jacob's disappeared before B could take the picture, and Brian's was bottom right.

After that ride, we decided to head to Pirates of the Caribbean.  But first, a couple more quick pictures by the castle.  ;o)

By then, the park had been open to the public for a while, so the wait times were starting to increase significantly.  We ended up having to wait for Pirates for about 30 minutes, but again, it moved quickly as most rides at Disney seem to do.

The kids were starting to get hungry by the time we got off of that ride, and Olivia had been promised cotton candy, so we took a bathroom break, washed hands, and got in line for cotton candy. 

At that point, the clouds were looking mighty dark, and the sky was threatening rain.  A quick look of the radar showed that rain was, indeed, on the horizon, so we decided to get in line for Peter Pan’s Flight as the entire queue is covered/indoors.  The Disney app showed that the wait was 55 minutes, which wasn’t ideal, but we figured it would be better to be indoors somewhere to ride out whatever was coming.

The queue ended up dragggging and there were several times that we considered bailing.  We’d ridden the ride on our last trip, but we’d had a fast pass for it, so none of us had ever been through the queue and we had no clue just how long it was.  We kept thinking we were almost at the front of the line, and then we’d get taken around another curve where there was even more of a wait.  Sigh.  This was the one part of the whole trip that the kids got a little whiny, and I was right there with them.  Haha.

We ended up waiting 90 minutes for the ride (ugggghhhh), so 35 minutes longer than the app had estimated (which is weird, because Disney almost always overinflates their wait times, so you never wait as long as the app actually says), and it was a big bummer because it messed up the rest of our plans right after that.  Our lightning lane for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was rapidly approaching while we were in line, and so was our lunch reservation at Be Our Guest.  Our original plan had us getting off of Peter Pan’s Flight (in less than 60 minutes, not 90), heading straight to Seven Dwarfs, and then heading straight to Be Our Guest, and we knew it was going to be tight even then to get to Be Our Guest on time.

By the time we were off of the ride, we knew that we needed to go straight to Be Our Guest because we didn’t have time to do Seven Dwarfs… we would have lost our lunch reservation.  Well, luckily for us, when we got off of Peter Pan’s Flight, we saw that it was POURING down rain – thunder, lightning, the whole nine yards.  It was massively storming.  Everyone was in ponchos and taking cover anywhere they could find. 

We asked a cast member if Seven Dwarf’s was running, and of course, it was closed because of the weather.  Therefore, the cast member told us that they would give us an LL credit in the app for Seven Dwarfs that we’d be able to use ANY TIME for the rest of the day!  If that wasn’t the luckiest thing!!!!

We still had to get to our lunch reservation, though, so we all put on our ponchos, got out our umbrellas, and waded over to Be Our Guest in the pouring rain, and they were able to seat us in less than five minutes.  Whew.  We checked our app once we were seated, and sure enough, we already had an LL credit for Seven Dwarfs that we could redeem any time for the rest of the day!  YESSSS!!  Disney is truly top-notch, y’all.

Since that was handled, we were able to breathe easy and enjoy our lunch, and the lunch couldn’t have been timed any more perfectly because it stormed the entire time we were in there… and we were there for over an hour!

As I’ve said a hundred times before on the blog, Beauty and the Beast has been my favorite Disney movie since it was released in 1991… I was nine years old when it came out, so I was at the prime age for truly appreciating it.  When we walked in Be Our Guest I teared up AGAIN, and I proceeded to tear up several more times while we were in there.  Shoot, I’m tearing up now even thinking about it.  Haha. 

That place is just MAGICAL, y’all.  You feel like you’ve been transported straight into the movie, and it is the very best… it’s my absolute favorite place in all of Disney World.  I could seriously just sit in there all day. 

We were seated in the main ballroom again, and I spent the next hour taking it all in.  Since Disney still wasn’t doing meet and greets while we were there, we weren’t able to “meet” Beast after our lunch like we did the last time.  Instead, Beast was announced, and he walked through the ballroom waving to everyone twice while we were there, so we were at least able to see him. 

They make a huge production over the food at Be Our Guest, obviously, because of the unforgettable scene from the movie where Be Our Guest is sung, and therefore, everyone is served a three-course meal.  That means there is a set price for adults and a set price for kids, which meant we were each able to choose whatever we wanted from the menu – an appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert. 

For apps, I opted for the country seasonal salad (assorted greens with toasted walnuts, fresh fruit, and seasonal vinaigrette dressing) and B got the assorted meats and artisanal cheese selection (chicken rillettes, shaved serrano ham, chorizo sausage, pleasant ridge cheddar, truffle tremor, and stilton blue with seasonal garnishes), and the kids both opted for the fruit and cheese plate.  B and I shared our apps, and everything was really yummy.

For the entrees, B and I both opted for the center cut filet mignon with Robuchon Yukon potatoes and asparagus in a red wine sauce, and the kids both opted for the house-made macaroni and cheese with rice and green beans.  Our meals were soooo delicious and I was stuffed by the time we were done.  I rarely eat big meals at lunchtime, and I thought for sure, I was going to need a nap afterward.  Haha.

I had barely saved room for dessert, but I surely wasn’t going to turn it down since it was included, and I ended up eating every single last bite because it was all so incredible.  They wheeled out the dessert cart (just like in the movie!!), and Brian and I were served a dessert trio which included a lemon jam macaron (left), a dark chocolate truffle filled with dark chocolate grand marnier ganache (right), and a chocolate tart with the grey stuff!!!!! (a movie reference for those of you who don’t know!), crisp pearls, and a white chocolate wafer (middle).  Oh. Em. Geeee.  Y’all.  So flipping good.  And I have to say, the grey stuff was my favorite thing on the entire plate. 

The kids were served quite possibly the cutest dessert I’ve ever seen – it was a white chocolate “Chip” mug (a character from the movie) that came with edible paint in red, blue, and yellow.  They were provided with paint brushes so they could decorate the mug first, and then eat it.  And then they also had a macaron, a dark chocolate truffle, and a little plop of the grey stuff.  It was just precious. 

After B paid the check and we all went to the bathroom, we stepped outside expecting to put on our ponchos, and we were so excited to see that the rain had just stopped.  Our timing was impeccable.     

Our LL for Haunted Mansion was open at that point, so we headed straight there after we left Be Our Guest.  Since we had the LL, we only had to wait about five minutes before we were on the ride.  The ride got stalled while we were in there, and we just so happened to be stalled in front of my very favorite scene in the whole ride, so I took the opportunity to snap a couple of pictures, and I also took a video.  We were back up and running in less than 5 minutes (thank goodness… one of my worst nightmares is getting stranded on a ride and having to sit there for hours before being rescued.  Haha.), and then we were on our way again. 

As we stepped outside again, we could tell more rain was approaching because the skies were pitch black, so we ran to It’s a Small World to take cover as the entire queue and the ride are all indoors.  Right as we got in line it started raining again, so again, it was perfectly timed. 

The kids and I had never ridden It’s a Small World, and B hadn't ridden since he was little, so none of us really knew much about it.  I have to say, it was slightly better than what I expected!  I was expecting everything to look really old and outdated and run-down since the ride is so old, but everything looked brand new and bright and vibrant… it made me wonder if they painted and refreshed everything when they were closed for the pandemic… hmmmm…

We only had to wait about 25 minutes for It’s a Small World, so we were in and out pretty quickly, and by the time we left, it was POURING again… thunder, lightning, the whole nine yards yet again.  We tried to take cover at the exit of It’s a Small World, but one of the cast members told us we couldn’t stay there as it was a safety hazard, but that we could run across the way and take shelter under the porch at Mickey’s PhilharMagic, so we did just that.  It was already pretty packed under there, but we were able to squeeze in to stay dry.  

While we waited, B pulled up the Disney app to see if there was anything else indoors that we could do that didn’t have a long wait, and we lucked out, because the wait to meet Tiana and Rapunzel was only 10 minutes, and we were only a short walk from there. 

We got out the umbrellas again and ran in the rain over to the building with the princesses, and sure enough, we waited less than 10 minutes (the wait was indoors, too!), and we were in!

Tiana’s dress has always been my second favorite princess dress (second to Belle, of course), and Tiana’s dress in-person was insanely gorgeous.  So was Tiana!  The kids weren’t able to hug them or get too close, but they were able to chat with both of them for a bit, and they were able to take pictures, too.

By the time we left there, the rain had already slowed to a drizzle (excellent timing again!), and by the time we walked to the Mad Tea Party ride, it had stopped completely. 

We only had to wait about 20 minutes for Mad Tea Party and we were on… and this time I let the kids spin us as much as they wanted.  The first time we went, I told them I would only ride if they didn’t spin too violently.  Haha.  I hate spinning.

By the time we were done there, it was time to go to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad for our LL.  We’d had a couple of other LLs that had gotten canceled because of the rain, and we were able to redeem them for anything for the rest of the day, so we chose Big Thunder Mountain Railroad because the wait was so long.  I think the rain actually ended up being a blessing, because I’m pretty sure we racked up way more LLs than we would have if it hadn’t rained, and since we could use some of them for anything, we were able to get Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.  I don’t think we would have been able to get it otherwise, so late in the day.

On our last trip in 2018, we weren’t sure the kids were ready for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, so B rode alone while I waited with the kids, but this year we were all ready for it!  I hadn’t ridden it since my trip back in 7th grade, and I had forgotten how good that one was!!  We all LOVED it.

When we got off the ride, I saw this street sign, and of course, I had to get my little nuggets to take a picture with it.  Hahahaha.

We debated getting in line for Splash Mountain after that, but after watching the boats go down that biiiig ol’ hill several times, both kids were like NOPE.  They didn’t want to go on it at all.  I LOVED that ride when I went in 7th grade, and hadn’t been on it since then, so I was slightly disappointed, but there was no way I was making the kids do something they weren’t comfortable with. 

Instead, we grabbed an LL for The Magic Carpets of Aladdin since they were close, and we were on the ride within five minutes. 

After that ride, a sweet couple approached us, and they handed Jacob and Olivia each a big of Disney loot to keep.  Each bag had a set of ears, a few pins, and a sweet little note.  They had seen our UGA ponchos, and commented that they were from Georgia, too, and they just wanted to spread a little bit of joy.  It was the absolute sweetest thing!  I took this picture of everything inside when we got home.

By the time that was done, the kids were begging for snacks again, so we stopped and grabbed some vanilla and chocolate swirl soft serve ice creams for them.  They had Dole Whips at that vendor, and I wanted one so bad, but I was still waaaay too full from lunch, and I couldn’t possibly eat another thing.

While the kids ate their ice cream, it did start sprinkling the tiniest bit again, but it cleared almost immediately, and a quick look of the radar showed that all of the rain was completely gone with nothing else coming behind it.  Woo hoooo!  We felt confident that we could put up the ponchos for good at that point, so we did just that while the kids were finishing up with their snacks.  And then we never needed them again for the rest of the afternoon and night!  Woo hoooo!

We’d been checking Seven Dwarfs Mine Train all day since our LL had been canceled, and it had been closed pretty much all afternoon.  For a while there, we were worried it wouldn’t reopen and we wouldn’t get to ride it at all, but we saw that it was finally open again after the kids finished their snacks, so we hightailed it over there as fast as we could.  Haha.  We had an LL, so the wait was only about 15 minutes, and we had a fellow Georgia fan behind us in line that we chatted with for a few minutes… you’ll see him and his son in our pictures from the ride.  Haha.

The ride did not disappoint at all, and we all LOVED it yet again, the kids included.  It’s always one of my favorites. 

By the time we got off the ride, our old friends were due to arrive, and we were supposed to meet them in front of the castle.  We stopped for a quick potty break while we waited for them, and then we headed to the castle.  Sure enough, there they were, and the kids were all so excited to see each other!!

They attended our school and church for a few years before moving to Orlando back in December 2019.  Jason was in Jacob’s class, and Becca was in Olivia’s class and was also one of Olivia’s very best friends (you may remember we took them to get their ears pierced together back in 2019).  Olivia was absolutely crushed when they moved away, but she and Becca have been pen pals ever since, sending each other sweet little notes and drawings and cards. 

We had planned to meet up with them back in 2020 for our trip, but of course, it was canceled, so we were excited that they were able to meet us for this trip.  They live close enough to see the Epcot fireworks from their back yard, so they were able to hop in the car and meet us after school, and we were so happy that it all worked out.

Everyone was a little shy at first since it had been two whole years, but Olivia and Becca fell right back into their BFF groove within 15 minutes, and they were inseparable for the rest of the evening.

We weren’t sure how the rest of the evening was going to go with regard to rides, as we couldn’t use any more LLs since we had three additional people, but we lucked out, and we were able to ride three rides with them – Mad Tea Party, Tomorrowland Speedway, and PeopleMover as the wait for each was less than 20 minutes.  The kids sat together for Mad Tea Party, and they were spinning their cup like CRAZY.  I was so glad I wasn’t in there with them.  Haha. 

None of our family had ever ridden Tomorrowland Speedway, so that was something new and fun for us.  I rode with Olivia and B rode with Jacob, and of course, we both let the kids drive.  The look on Olivia’s face while driving was hilarious and also a bit terrifying, and after that, I’ve decided that Brian is going to be the one who teaches her how to drive a car one day.  It will not be me.  Hahahaha. 

PeopleMover is a relaxing ride, so the kids all sat together on that one while the adults took the car behind them, and by the time that was done, it was nearing time for our 7:45 PM dinner reservation at Cinderella’s Royal Table.  It would have been wonderful if we’d been able to include our friends in our reservation, but they didn’t decide which day to meet us until right before our trip, so sadly, we had to part ways at that point.

We all snapped a few more pictures, and said our goodbyes, and the girls hugged and then hugged some more, and they waved us off as we walked to the castle.  Olivia was a little bit blue after we said goodbye, but there were still so many good things to come that she couldn’t stay sad for too long.

Cinderella’s Royal Table is located INSIDE the castle – EEK! – and we’d never been so we were all really excited to go.  We were, however, a little bit disappointed when they checked us in because they told us that the experience would last for a while and that we would definitely miss the fireworks at 9 PM.  Bummer.  However, the restaurant is several stories up in the castle, and there is an entire wall of windows that allowed us to watch some of it from there, so it wasn’t a total miss.

Upon entering the castle, we were able to stop and chat with Cinderella and take pictures with her.  Then we climbed a set of never-ending winding stairs in what had to be a turret, until we arrived in the restaurant.  We were seated immediately, and B and I let the kids face the windows so they would be able to see the fireworks.  Our waitress brought along some keepsake wishing stars and autographs from Cinderella to start the evening.

Dinner was similar to lunch in that each person was served a three-course meal for a set price – an appetizer, an entrée, and dessert – so again, we were able to choose whatever we wanted from the menu.  But first, WINE!

The kids were provided with paper menus and crayons, and both of our kiddos flipped theirs over to the blank side and they drew several of their favorite scenes from our trip.  It was the cutest!!

First up, were the appetizers – the charcuterie for me (a selection of cured meats, castle pickles, and accompaniments), the Castle Salad for B (romaine, brussels sprouts, citrus, and fennel with a passion fruit vinaigrette), and bite-sized cheddar cheese and grapes for the kids. 

For our entrees, B and I both opted for the Tenderloin of Beef with whipped potatoes, onions, and sauce bordelaise.  (Yes, beef twice in one day!  When at Disney… haha.)  Oh. My. Word.  That was, by far, my favorite meal of the day… it was somehow even better than lunch at Be Our Guest! 

Both of the kids opted for macaroni and cheese yet again, this time with rice and buttered corn, and yes, I let them have macaroni and cheese twice in one day.  I couldn’t very well make them get something different when I had the same thing twice, too.  Hahahaha.

Just as we were finishing our entrees, the fireworks show started, and they dimmed the lights and piped the sound and music into the restaurant so we could enjoy the show, too.  We weren’t able to see a lot, but we were able to see some of the fireworks, and it was really special to be able to see it from that point of view.  Olivia got a little sad during the show because she wanted so badly to see them outside, but we promised her that we would stay for the fireworks show at Epcot the next night, and that appeased her.  She was back to her usual sunny self almost immediately. 

I have to say, I was the tiniest bit disappointed that we missed them, too, but I promised myself to “embrace” (my word of the year) all circumstances this year, and that’s exactly what I did!  I chose to look on the bright side and appreciate the unique position we were in to be able to see them from inside the castle… not many people get to see them from that point of view!  And it ended up being such a wonderful experience, maybe even once in a lifetime, that I’ll never forget! 

Once that was over, we were presented with dessert, and oh my word, it was the best dessert in all of Disney World!!!!  Brian and I both got “The Clock Strikes Twelve” – dark chocolate mousse with a caramel and crunchy praline center served with chocolate sauce and hazelnut gelato.  Y’all.  Oh my, it was pure heaven.  I told B I’m going to be thinking about that dessert for a verrrry long time.  And now I’m trying to figure out where I get hazelnut gelato!!!!  Haha.

Both of the kids opted for the Build-Your-Own-Cupcake dessert which included a mini red velvet cupcake and a mini vanilla cupcake with blue icing and various decorations.  It came with a little spreader so they could frost their vanilla cupcakes and then decorate them with the toppings.  Seriously precious.  And that Disney World logo on the plate?  Also edible!  It was some kind of chocolate powder.  So so cool.

By the time we were done there, it was after 9:30, and we were all exhausted, but we’d promised the kids we would let them see the lanterns at Rapunzel’s Tower and get souvenirs.  We headed to Rapunzel’s Tower first and decided to get in line for the PhotoPass pictures for the lanterns since we’d never seen them before.  The line was pretty long, and we debated getting out because it was getting so late, but I’m soooo glad we stayed because, y’all, just look at these pictures – they are beautiful!! 

After that, we split up because Jacob wanted to get a souvenir from the Pirates of the Caribbean shop and Olivia wanted to browse the stores on Main Street USA, so I went with her, and B went with Jacob.  Olivia and I had to walk right in front of the castle, so we used the opportunity to grab a couple of pictures at night. 

Then the boys met us back on Main Street USA just as Olivia and I were paying.  And by the way, thank GOODNESS for mobile checkout, because the line to check out at the store wrapped around and around in circles, and the Disney cast member who checked us out on my phone said, “You just saved yourself about 35 minutes!”  What?!  Can you imagine having to wait in line for 35 minutes just to buy something from a store?!  Yeesh.

After that, it was time to say goodbye to the most magical park in all of Disney World!  We headed straight to the bus terminal, and fortunately we didn’t have to wait very long before a bus arrived.  Olivia fell asleep on the bus, and she and Jacob were both so exhausted when we got back to the room that we didn’t even make them shower.  They both collapsed in the bed a little after 11 PM with B and I right behind them shortly before midnight, and we all went to sleep exhausted and as happy as can be.  :o)

Here’s a summary of our day!

 

Summary:

Hours spent in park – 14.5 (8:00 AM – 10:30 PM)

Rides/Attractions – 16

Characters met – 3

Disney Photo Pass pictures and videos taken – 23

18,001 – Steps taken

7.9 – Miles walked

 

Schedule:

Arrive 8:00 AM

PhotoPass pictures in front of the castle (everyone)

The Barnstormer (everyone)

Dumbo the Flying Elephant (everyone)

Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid (everyone)

LL – Space Mountain (Brian and Jacob)

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (everyone)

Pirates of the Caribbean (everyone)

Snacks (Jacob and Olivia)

Peter Pan’s Flight (everyone)

Reservation – Be Our Guest for lunch (everyone)

LL – The Haunted Mansion (everyone)

It’s a Small World (everyone)

Waited out the rain on the porch of Mickey’s PhilharMagic (everyone)

Met Tiana and Rapunzel (everyone)

Mad Tea Party (everyone)

LL – Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (everyone)

LL – The Magic Carpets of Aladdin (everyone)

Chat with a sweet couple who gave the kids Disney pins (everyone)

Snacks (Jacob and Olivia)

LL – Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (everyone)

Met up with old friends in front of the castle (everyone)

Mad Tea Party (everyone + our friends)

Tomorrowland Speedway (everyone + our friends)

PeopleMover (everyone + our friends)

Pictures in front of the castle (everyone + our friends)

Reservation – Cinderella’s Royal Table for dinner (everyone)

Met Cinderella inside the castle (everyone)

Watched the fireworks from inside the castle (everyone)

PhotoPass pictures in front of Rapunzel’s Tower (everyone)

Souvenir shopping (everyone)

Left park at 10:30 PM (everyone)

And here are the other recaps in case you missed them!

Disney Springs

Hollywood Studios

Animal Kingdom

Pool Day

Happy Monday, y’all!