I hope you're as excited about all the big news coming out of the D23 Expo as I am! I will keep you updated on Facebook as announcements are made. I'm making it my own squad goal to get to the next D23 Expo. They are incredible!
Anyway, While The Hubs was working the other day, I figured the Littles and I would enjoy some time during the final days of summer doing what we love most... Going to Disney parks, of course! The three of us hit The Magic Kingdom for a little late morning fun and I wanted to share with you some photos and a couple of little updates.
Let's start with a view of the ongoing work around the Castle. Things are coming together nicely...
As you can see, there are still plenty of walls up and the added turrets are still having work done, but I think when it's all done, the Castle is only going to look even more beautiful! See... here's the sketch of the finished product:
As you can probably tell from the above pictures, the sky was threatening to rain down on us, but it did not, and it ended up being a really good thing! The dark clouds kept the crowds away, and the gloomy, gray cloud cover kept it about ten degrees cooler than it had been all week. It was actually... dare I say it? Bearable! In August! In FLORIDA!
We hung out in front of the Castle just long enough, because all of a sudden, Move It, Shake It, Dance and Play It came rolling up Main Street, and right into the Hub. I don't know about you, but I love this parade! (Shhhh....but I think I like it more than the regular 3 o'clock parade!) If you've never seen it, make it a priority, especially if you have kids in your group. The bright, colorful floats stop multiple times a day, in front of the Castle, so that the dancers and characters can dance in the street with park Guests. The music is fun, upbeat and modern songs that most people would recognize, and the dancing is bouncy and easy to join in on. Depending on your spot in the Hub, you may end up dancing with Woody and Jessie, Chip and Dale, Genie and Stitch, King Louie and Baloo or even Phineus and Ferb. D and K love dancing in the street and having a blast with the characters. We got some good pictures too! Check 'em out!
It really is a super fun celebration. Up next was a quick jaunt on over to The Haunted Mansion, for K's very first ride on a Doom Buggy. We had a Fastpass, so we didn't have to wait at all, but considering that it was noontime, on a Saturday, in the summer, the 15 minutes posted wait time didn't seem so bad. K got very nervous going into the Stretch Room, and cuddled in close to me, hiding his face on my chest and only peeking up occasionally. Once we got on the Doom Buggy, and I put him between D and I, he was ok. A little nervous every now and then, but mostly ok. I kept saying, "Are the ghosts silly or scary?" and he would say, "See-lee, Mamma. See-lee ghosts." I think he was trying to convince himself as much as he was convincing me. By the end of the ride, he was humming along to "Grimm Grinning Ghosts", and making spooky ghost noises. I'm not sure he will want to go back right away, but he was a brave little dude. Oh, and if you are a Mansion fan, you have to check out Memento Mori for merchandise that cannot be found anywhere else, in this world or beyond. Oooooooo......
Of course, walking toward Fantasyland required a stop in the most magical bathrooms ever...
Seriously, SUCH a cute area! Too bad there's no Snuggly Duckling restaurant, or a talent show of the village "Ruffians" and "Thugs". Again, Disney, are you listening????
At this point, we were getting super hot and were ready to do one or two more attractions, then head out. Of course, Peter Pan's Flight had a 60 minute wait, so, no. D chose the Carousel, which I am always happy to do. Almost no wait and SO magical and beautiful. Both of my kiddos love it. It makes The Hubs puke, so he never rides when he's with us, but D always finds it funny that her big, tough Daddy cant ride the merry-go-round. Let's hope she doesn't get motion sickness when she gets older.  |
| K wanted to hold D's hand. How cute! They'll never believe me when they're teens. |
After our whirl around on Prince Charming's horses, we decided to walk to the front of the park, for a grand circle tour of The Magic Kingdom, aboard The Walt Disney World Railroad. Being almost 3, K loves him a good choo-choo train, so away we went!
Is that not GORGEOUS? How can you not be smitten by that Castle? Oh, and we saw a couple of other things along the way too...
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| Here's some more Hub construction. |
One thing that I, as a parent, found to be extra magical and proof that there are still plenty of good Cast Members out there: As it was just starting to drizzle, there were Cast Members outside of Crystal Palace putting plastic trash bags over all of the strollers and wheelchairs that were parked outside. I know I would appreciate it a TON if I came out to a dry stroller to put my toddler into, instead of a sopping wet one! I also had to take some more pictures of the Castle.
We strolled down Main Street, into the Confectionary, just as fresh Cotton Candy was being made, and each of the kids got a free sample. (Score for me! I don't have to pay for snacks!) We ended our day with a cool, comfortable ride on the classic railroad, and then caught the monorail on back to the car. In all, it was a nice, fun little visit, and a perfect preview of the fall weather that's ahead! Bring on September!!!!
