Day 10: Magic Kingdom, Story Book Dining and Happily Ever After

Today the plan was to have a lazy morning then head to Magic Kingdom after lunch to experience a few attractions before heading on to Wilderness Lodge for tea with Snow White. However, everyone woke up around 7 and as it was fairly chilly first thing we changed the plan and decided to head for the Kingdom first thing then come back for a few hours in the sunshine before tea. 

We arrived at Magic Kingdom to find the queues for bag check to be almost as far back as the ferry boat, so thought we were in for a hectic time (it was only 8.40 and the park didn’t open until 9) but once through security there were no queues at all, and Main Street was significantly less crowded than on previous visits this trip meaning the queue for Starbucks was short and Steve could get his coffee before the park officially opened (great news for us all!!) 

The girls had a simple plan consisting of 7 Dwarves Mine Train (our only fastpass), meeting Pooh and Tigger, Carousel of Progress, People Mover and Monsters Inc Laugh Floor (which we’ve never done before). As we were walking past the Merida meet Winnie decided she’d like to do that, so we got in a queue of 3 and waited about 5 minutes until she appeared to meet us. It was a great meet (I love Merida’s personality) and something we always avoid in summer as the queue is outdoors and the heat relentless, so perfect for today. 

Next we planned on Mine Train but there was only a 10-minute queue for Winnie the Pooh so decided to duck in there first as it’s one the girls always enjoy as Polly’s first toy love was Roo! Next was Mine Train which I sat out of so the girls could ride together (front carriage, of course) before we headed to Tomorrow Land and Polly’s favourite, Carousel of Progress (her joint favourite used to be Hall of Presidents but that’s apparently too scary now 🤷‍♀️🤣).

Now, I’ve watched Carousel of Progress more times than I can count, and the same things bother me each time. Firstly, what happens to the younger girl who is doing laundry with Sarah in the first scene? I know Patricia and Jimmy are in every scene, but she just disappears never to be mentioned. Is she an unwanted child they hide away and pretend doesn’t exist? Slave labourer? It really bothers me!

Also, what on Earth is a rumpus room and is it really suitable for a family attraction? 

Afterwards we walked straight onto People Mover (also known as the most frustrating ride ever for trying to get continuous WIFI!!) Winnie now judges rides based on their ability to offer discreet nose-picking opportunities, so this obviously got a big thumbs (or finger!) up from her! 

The girls were on serious go-slow today and moving from place to place was taking forever until Polly suggested we become a marching band and sing/ play ‘Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow’ whilst marching to meet Pooh & Tigger. It was a tough call between snail-pace frustration and marching band embarrassment, but the embarrassment won, and 14 verses of trumpet/ bass drum accompanied singing later we were in the character queue. 

Pooh & Tigger were lots of fun and spent loads of time with the girls. Pooh tried to make Winnie (Eeyore…confusing I know) a house of sticks (well, sharpies!) and shared his honey with a Polly.

We then went to Cosmic Ray for lunch as the girls love it, even though it was only 11am. Apparently the alien has a new suit and piano according to the small people, although I don’t think I’d have noticed! 

We finished off the morning with a trip to the laughing floor. For those (like us) who’ve never been, it’s an interactive cartoon show where the on-screen monsters pick on audience members who appear on a big screen for laughs. It’s really funny, although I’m so glad they didn’t pick on me!!

We headed out of the park after this and got to the bus stop about 5 minutes before a bus appeared so were back in no time. The weather had warmed up nicely so we had a few hours chilling by the pool (with Polly keeping guard and protecting Winnie from the resident ducks!) before getting changed and getting a Lyft to Wilderness a Lodge (we didn’t want to take 2 buses as we would have had to leave a long time before the reservation to allow for potential bus/ ferry waits). 

For those who don’t know, Story Book Dining is a 3-course table service meal (currently 1 credit) where you meet Snow White, two of the dwarves and the Evil Queen. Starters and puddings are set (sample platters of a selection of choices) but you get to select your own main course. We have always found this meal to be really good quality, and it’s one of the girls’ favourites. Today, as we were leaving a CM came up to us and asked us to wait by the door. She then brought both Dopey & Grumpy over time meet the girls together. They were really funny, and the girls loved it!

After the meal we decided to go back to Magic Kingdom to try and stay awake for the 8pm fireworks. We got the boat from Wilderness Lodge which was beautiful as the sun was just setting and it turned from dusk to dark on the trip. We also had a singing captain who sang a variety of Disney songs (she was very good!)

We arrived at the park to see the After-Hours crowd congregating in a mass group at the turnstiles. Luckily very few other regular guests were heading in, so we got on quickly and headed up Main Street for a few quick photos. We still had one of our general fast passes left, so thought we’d give 7 Dwarves in the dark a go. It was a lot of fun and a very different experience to the daylight. 

After a quick play in the Dumbo play area we got a lollipop each for the girls (a tradition) and then found a spot to sit on the curb until the fireworks began. Winnie was getting very tired and started crying about the damage the fireworks might cause the environment, telling me that there is no planet B, but I managed to convince her that Disney wouldn’t do anything harmful and she calmed down. However, just as the show was about to start a man with a child on his shoulders stood smack-bang in front of them meaning they couldn’t see a thing, so we ended up moving further down Main Street, and Steve ended up holding Winnie (but not on his shoulders so that she was only his height). I still love this show no matter what the view, and always get a bit choked up!

We decided to use our ‘sleepy children’ technique of watching most of the show (16 minutes to be exact!) before heading towards the exit just in time to turn around and see the end before making a quick getaway for the bus. Winnie asked why it was so busy at the exit and Poly replied ‘because it’s rush hour for everyone who has any sense!’ Anyway, the plan worked well and although seeing the show fully is obviously preferable, for our situation on the night it was the best option for sure as everyone was tucked up by just after 9pm (we let them watch the start of the Epcot fireworks from the balcony) after jumping on a half-empty Swan/ Dolphin bus and making the short walk to the secret entrance (as the girls call the door which doesn’t go through the lobby) to our room.

Tomorrow is Droid Depot, which Winnie is very excited for!! 

Oh, I also received an email today saying that we were in the top 3% of JustGiving fundraisers in December for the 60k challenge we’ll be completing in the WDW marathon this week. I’m so proud of this achievement. Just need to make sure we finish the runs now!