Hello again, long time no talk about Disney World. When we last left me, I was puking my guts up in my hotel. Fast forward to the next morning and I'm more or less better and ready to go.
I bring to you, day five, otherwise known as Thursday of my trip to Disney.
And on this day I went to the one...
The only...
MAGIC KINGDOM.
I was so pumped to see Cinderella's castle, and I also happened to have breakfast reservations at Be Our Guest! Yeah, the restaurant of Beauty and the Beast, the one that you have to make reservations for like a year in advance. That one (that I somehow got breakfast reservations for). Needless to say, we were out our hotel door and on a bus way before the park even opened.
Wes had been waiting all week to see my face the first time I saw the castle and, according to him, my face did not disappoint. I'm guessing it was similar to the five-year-old's face I was standing next to, only better because I was 21.
We were there in time to see the cute little pre-show they do before they open the castle doors and let everyone mass herd themselves into the park. And the inside of the castle was just as freaking magical because of the beautiful pictures inside. I was literally in awe the entire day just so we're clear.
Next thing I know, we are making a b-line straight for the Beast's castle and ordering breakfast. Of course out of all of the dining areas, I chose to sit in the ballroom. It's so magical and they played Beauty and the Beast while we ate. People even brought out little carts filled with our food. (I pretended there were no waiters and they brought themselves like I was hoping they would.) I had Gaston's breakfast and some of the yummy pastries that came with our meals. Everything is worth it. Eat everything.
When we were finished, I had to go see every other room before we were allowed to leave. Now full and ready to go, we went to our first FastPass of the day which was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. It was cute, it was fun, and I was ready for a continued magical filled day. Our Pass wasn't for a while, so we took the time to wander the park and explore. We saw Cinderella's evil stepsisters holding court by the castle, the Sword in the Stone, and Tiana and Rapunzel. I assured Tiana we were eating plenty of beignets at the French Quarter and Rapunzel that I would always keep a frying pan handy. They may or may not have been flirting with Wes, that part is still up for discussion.
Our next ride was at the start of the heat of the day and, luckily, was Splash Mountain. It was also where my dreams flew away.
We got in our little log and made our way up, through, and around the mountain until we had made it to the famous splash drop. Wes warned me to hold on to my hat, yeah that cute Minnie Mouse hat you saw earlier. And I had it tight on my head and assured him I was fine.
For the first time in my life, I should have listened to Wes. This picture was taken only seconds before the hat flew off my head and landed
behind our log and in the water. Gone forever.
I was sad. Distraught as the child who wasn't tall enough to ride their favorite ride. And wouldn't you know that they didn't sell that stinking hat anywhere in that ENTIRE park. So, the rest of the day I was hatless, sad, and the sun had a direct line to my head. No one deserves that.
Our next FastPass was after the parade, so back to exploring the park we went, taking in all of the lands, rides and sights. We saw a kid pointing to a duck and excitedly calling it a chicken, which was one of the highlights of my trip, and a surprising amount of adults sitting in the shade resting their eyes. We made our way to the two people I really wanted to see: Aladdin and Jasmine.
Our first time going to get in line did not go well. Aladdin and Jasmine have always been my favorite; Wes and I even went as them for Halloween our sophomore year of college. I was a dedicated fan. But, the line was long and closed off. Break time for the characters I was guessing. So, Wes tried to treat me to a Dole Whip, but I found it disgusting. I apologize to everyone else who loves it. Anyway, we waited, went to some other areas and decided to come back later.
On our adventure around the park we came to Prince Eric's castle and Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid. First of all, they need to make Eric's house livable because I want to move in ASAP. Secondly, you ride around in a seashell and that is the coolest thing ever. Sadly the ride broke down twice while we were singing Under the Sea with Sebastian, but I got to sing the song multiple times so was it really that bad? Wes would say yes, yes it was. I beg to differ.
Next up was the parade which we had a fantastic view of, right on Main Street. And a couple of British people stood beside of us and I'm a sucker for accents so that just added to the fun. I was also in need of some water from heat and dehydration so I may have been a little loopy. Luckily, the nice Starbucks behind us was giving free waters for us newbies and we were saved.
The parade was marvelous, cute, and fun. I saw all of my favorite characters and some even put on a little show for us. How they do this every single day in the blaring heat, I'll never know. Kudos to everyone that works at Disney.
One thing I was disappointed in was the lack of Princess Aurora. Prince Philip was out their fighting Maleficent as a dragon and Aurora was nowhere to be found. I guess she was still asleep somewhere and the poor girl missed the parade. As Kim Kardashian would say, "tragic".
Parade over, and our dehydration taken care of, we zoomed off to Tomorrowland where we took on Space Mountain. A.K.A., another rollercoaster that takes place completely in the dark and made me nauseous. Wes claimed he didn't remember it being like that, but I mean c'mon.
Off we went to find Aladdin and Jasmine again. My app told me that they were back in their little meet and great area so I was pumped. This was it. I was going to meet my childhood loves.
Until we got there and they were nowhere to be seen.
Once again, a heartbreak happened in Disney World.
Now I needed food and a good cry. We got a table at Tony's (the Italian from Lady and the Tramp that gave them spaghetti and created a magical iconic moment) and ate some yummy food. We were hot, tired and needed a rest, so we decided to head back to the hotel until it was time for fireworks.
We didn't make it very far.
Out at the bus stop, we sat and waited. And waited. And waited for a bus that would never come. Seriously, it was like five years later and no bus showed up so we got up and took a seat on a bench over by the water that looked out towards some of the uppity hotels. We rested and relaxed until we decided we couldn't let this day go by anymore. We had time for another ride before fireworks and we went right to the Haunted Mansion. It took a while, but we got inside our little...chariot?...and through the mansion we went. It only broke down a couple of times, poor small children who were coerced into going on the ride, but all in all it was creepy and cool like the Eddie Murphy movie.
Finally, it was time for fireworks. Kind of. We got a place by the Mickey and Walt statue which is apparently a very popular place. We waited
their for an hour or more and when Wes went to get us something to drink and snack on, they almost didn't let him back in because they had blocked off the area. It was a packed house, but I understand why so many people stand there. It was a perfect spot.
The show was fantastic. It was fireworks, projections, songs, magic. I have never seen anything like it. All of my favorite characters and scenes were projected on the castle, singing and dancing and creating magic that only Disney can do. We ended the night with beautiful fireworks lighting up the sky and a magical kiss to match.
We took the bus (yes, it finally came) back to our hotel, ready for the next day at Animal Kingdom.
Or not.