Last week I shared all about our very special Birthday and Christmas surprise for Dallas - his dream trip to Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios and Disney World in Orlando! This is something that we've wanted to do for such a long time, but we really wanted to wait until Dallas was old enough to really appreciate the parks and had the opportunity to ride on all of the rides, so planning this and getting to surprise him with something he's wanted to do for such a long time was so incredible. (You can read all about our time in Wizarding World and see his Christmas morning reaction here!)
The second half of our trip was spent at Disney World - we spent one day at Magic Kingdom and a second at Disney's Hollywood Studios (which I'll be sharing about in a separate post next week!). I will definitely say that going into our day at Magic Kingdom I was by far the most excited, but I think that this might have been the best day that everyone had on our trip. Everything about Disney World is just amazing, it truly is the happiest place on earth. The anticipation driving into the park for the first time is just like I remembered from my trips there as a child and let me tell you - the magic is real, folks. From the moment we stepped foot onto the monorail to enter Magic Kingdom we were transported right into the wonder of it all.
We didn't go into our Magic Kingdom day with an itinerary or strict plan, but rather a few "must-do's" and an open mind to just see and experience whatever we could and I think that made our day all the more special. We weren't rushing around the park or frantic about riding this-or-that - Magic Kingdom is absolutely huge and there's so much to do that getting to go at our own pace and craft our experience was perfect for our family. Magic Kingdom is sort of broken up into sectors, each having their own theme with everything converging on Cinderella's Castle in the center, it really makes navigating the park easy and with so much to see and experience this set up really allows you to be fully engulfed in the magic of each area.
One of my favorite things at Disney as a child was riding the tea cups at The Mad Tea Party, so this was the first place we stopped when we got into the park (after getting coffee and a slushie for Dallas at the Cheshire Cafe, of course). It was so much fun to spin around as fast as we could until we got so dizzy that we couldn't stop laughing. I still think that this is one of the cutest spots in the park, and it definitely brought back some fun childhood memories, which I think is part of the magic of Disney - just getting to let loose and get lost in that childlike sense of wonder.
We really got to ride and experience most everything we set out to do in Magic Kingdom. One of our first rides was The Haunted Mansion. The line weaves through the grounds of the old mansion, bringing you through the grave yard and into the mansion where you hop aboard a Doom Buggy and go on a ride through the haunted corridors where ghosts dance, sing, and may just try to hitch a ride home with you.
From there we headed into Fantasyland to Ariel's Under The Sea. I've always loved The Little Mermaid so this was so much fun. You find yourself walking through an underwater cave full of Ariel's trinkets and treasures before boarding your own little clamshell ship and setting off on an adventure through the tail of The Little Mermaid narrated by Scuttle. It's such a cute ride, and so fun getting to see some of the iconic scenes from the movie brought to life with animatronics alongside all of the songs from the movie.
We also spent some time in Tomorrowland, riding what was the boy's favorite ride, Space Mountain. It's such a neat ride, taking place entirely in the dark with the stars all around you. You board your own space ship and truly feel as if you're riding through space, dropping and turning as comets and meteors fly past. While in Tomorrow Land we took a spin on Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin - the story is that Buzz Lightyear's arch nemesis Emperor Zurg is stealing batteries from toys and it's your job to shoot your lasers and defeat Zurg in a galactic space battle.
In Adventure Land our favorite ride was The Magic Carpets of Aladdin - Dallas has been on a bit of an Aladdin kick since the live action remake came out so it was fun to explore this little slice of Agrabah and take our very own magic carpet ride. We also loved the Jungle Cruise - it's a slow-paced float down the river with tons to see - beautiful scenery, animatronic creatures, and a punny tour guide who could nearly put me out of a job with her humor.
While in Adventureland we of course had to hit Aloha Isle for our very first Dole Whip experience. We all got Dole Whip floats which 1,000% live up to every single bit of hype.
The most important thing to me at Magic Kingdom was getting to see Goofy. My dad passed away the day before Dallas's birthday, which was when we were originally scheduled to leave for our trip and growing up my Daddy always loved Goofy. It's funny really how much of him I see in Goofy's character - though he loved Goofy for as long as I remember, he also became a single-dad extraordinaire just like the Goofman himself. But even more so, my Daddy was so kind and so giving - he was truly a give-you-the-shirt-off-his-back kind of guy. While he made his fair share of "goof ups", his heart was always in the right place and he loved his family above all else. He truly would do anything in the world to make us smile or laugh, and he was so so silly. Going on this trip amidst the grief of losing my dad was definitely a challenge at times, but getting to hug and be silly with Goofy was really special and helped me to feel closer for my dad, even if just for a moment.
We ended our night in Frontierland before heading back to the castle for the Happily Ever After show. Our last ride of the night was Big Thunder Railroad - by the time it was our turn to ride the sun had set and we could see the illuminated castle peeking out through the trees which was such a beautiful sight to see. The ride it's self was so much fun, and honestly I think I preferred getting to ride in the dark!
Alex snapped this super sweet photo of Dallas and I on Big Thunder Mountain
Our night ended, of course, back at Cinderella's Castle for the Happily Ever After light show. This was magic beyond magic. The show is a combination of fireworks and projections on Cinderella's castle, and in true Disney fashion this show brought you through every single feeling and emotion - it was uplifting and encouraging and at times downright silly. The message throughout the show is the importance of friendship and family, the joy of finding your true love, and it reminded us that we're all capable of whatever we set our hearts to. It even pays homage to the characters we lost along the way which especially pulled at my heart strings. Throughout the show all of your favorite characters are projected onto the castle in the most beautiful way, you hear familiar tunes from all of your favorite Disney movies and it is just the most wonderful and perfect experience. It is definitely the most perfect way to end a magical day at the Magic Kingdom.
Vegan Eats + Treats at Magic Kingdom
The food that we had at Disney at both parks was not just good theme park food, it was truly some of the best food that we've ever eaten. While at Magic Kingdom we had lunch at Casey's Corner on Main Street USA, all three of us had the Loaded Slaw Dog and Frozen Mint Julep Lemonade and it was to. die. for. I'm a sausage/ brat/ hotdog person through and through and this was next level. We also got Dole Whip Floats from Aloha Isle in Adventureland - 1,000% understand the hype. This was one of the most refreshing and delicious sweet treats! Finally, we got a souvenir popcorn bucket that we filled throughout the day for snacks.
Tips and Tricks for Magic Kingdom
There is so much to do in Magic Kingdom, especially if you're doing it in one day like we did. I recommend mapping out your "must-do's" and making your Fast Pass + selections as soon as you can after booking your tickets for the best chance of avoiding long lines on your must-do attractions. If you're interested in the parades and shows be sure to grab a schedule when you enter the park to plan accordingly so you don't miss anything you want to see and download the Disney World app - it shows you wait times on all of the rides and attractions and acts as a GPS to get you from place to place within the park, plus you can make reservations at the in-park restaurants or order food to go through the app. And of course, get your magical photo in front of Cinderella's castle - the castle is always packed, and there are always going to be a ton of people in front of it, so if you want a good photo without a ton of people in the background just go off to one of the sides or snap a photo from the bridges surrounding the castle.
I honestly can't think of a single thing that would have made this day any more magical, it was truly a perfect experience and something that our little family will remember forever.
It truly is the happiest place on earth.
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