Disney's Magic Kingdom

Magical magical magical. No matter how old you are, the Magic Kingdom remains magical. We made about 3 trips to this park during our vacation, and that still didn't seem like enough time as we skipped Frontierland completely to spend time elsewhere. Olivia and Ethan's favorite ride of the entire vacation was "It's a Small World". We rode it 5 times total. This is my favorite ride, too (nostalgia from childhood), although Joe HATES this ride. He did a very good job "enjoying" it for the kids' sake. Other great attractions were Mickey's Philharmagic, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, and Haunted Mansion. Both kids really enjoyed Dumbo and Magic Carpets of Aladdin, too.

Ethan posing with "the baseball pumpkin" along the Main Street USA.

Joe and kids posing with Daisy Duck.

Such a classic Cinderella Castle picture.

Olivia outside of the Dumbo ride, the first ride we enjoyed at Disney.

Joe and Olivia on Dumbo.

Grandpa by himself on Dumbo. Just kidding, Ethan is somewhere behind the fence pole.

Ethan, grandma, and Olivia on Dumbo. Ethan enjoyed this ride so much that the one stuffed animal he was allowed to buy was a Dumbo.

As mentioned in previous blogs, it was HOT at Disney. Our character lunch at the Crystal Palace was a very welcome reprieve. Here is Olivia, Ethan, and Winnie the Pooh.

Joe, Eeyore, Ethan, and Olivia.

Ethan, Olivia, Tigger, and grandma. Ethan was bouncing with Tigger saying "boing, boing".

Ethan, Piglet, Olivia, and grandma. I must admit that the kids did excellent at these character meals. They did a great job staying at the table until it was their turn with the character. I had pictured Ethan running wild through the restaurants and ruining everyone else's pictures with the characters!`1

Olivia with Peter Pan. I must say, of all the characters we encountered, he was the bossiest. He was definitely in charge of keeping the almost nonexistent line moving quickly. For some reason, Ethan hid from Peter Pan and wouldn't take his picture with him. Maybe because we had just gone on the Peter Pan's Flight ride, and it scared him.

Ethan playing in the Ariel's Grotto splash park. The line to see Ariel the mermaid (as opposed to when she is in human form) was one of the longest we encountered on our vacation. It was 45 minutes, but the kids had a good time in the water park area while grandma and grandpa stood in line. The bad thing was, there was absolutely no shade so we were roasting!

Olivia imitating the Ariel statue. There will be no picture of us with Ariel in this blog as we just had a photo pass picture taken with her and no candids. I know all of you were really wanting to see us with yet another character!

Ethan and Olivia wearing their new mouse ear hats that they designed themselves. And if one goes to Disney, you of course have to get the classic mouse ear balloons!

Ethan with his Mickey Mouse stickers. On his cheeks. I don't ask why anymore.

Ethan, Pinnochio, and Olivia.

Olivia was so happy to meet Cinderella's Fairy Godmother! On our first visit to the park, we saw her but the line to her had been closed. So for the second visit we made sure to get in line before she was escorted away!

Ethan with a suit of armor inside Cinderella's Castle. Another tradition of my family's...we have always eaten in Cinderella's Castle on our Disney trips. However, this was the first time that characters have been present, and each one is presented to the crowd as a sort of show. In the past, it was just a nice meal inside the castle.

The family meeting Cinderella for the only time on the vacation. The other princesses are more common to meet elsewhere.

Ethan, Snow White, and Olivia. Snow White was so enamored of Ethan she gave him a big kiss on the cheek (to be seen in later pictures).

Ethan, Princess Aurora, and Olivia. When Sleeping Beauty saw that Ethan had received a kiss from Snow White, she planted one of her own on his forehead.

Ethan, Jasmine, and Olivia. Jasmine did not give Ethan a kiss. Instead her comment was "he's a wild one isn't he?" I had to agree with her as at the time he was attempting to sword fight with her with the plastic sword he received when we were seated (Olivia received a magic wand).

Ethan, Belle, and Olivia. Belle was dismayed when she heard Olivia liked Gaston in the movie!

My assumption was proven correct...Ethan is a prince charming. Here are the kisses from Aurora (forehead) and Snow White (cheek). He was so proud of these kisses, too, when we showed them to him in the mirror.

Olivia "wearing" the chocolate crown that came on her ice cream sundae. The little details that Disney would do were amazing.

Olivia and Ethan in front of Minnie's Country House in Toontown Fair. Olivia is holding the stuffed animal she selected, a Princess Minnie doll.

The two thinkers.

Olivia was captured along with Zurg at the end of the Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin ride! Grandma scored the highest among the six of us on this.

One final shot of the kids in front of the Magic Kingdom entrance.

Some pictures from the "Wishes" show that was performed in front of Cinderella's Castle. All of the live shows we saw were excellent.