Walking into the Magic Kingdom with Nate was something that I had been looking forward to for, literally, years. Ever since finding out that he hadn't been to Disney World, I'd been planning this; during the long hours grading tests I imagined us going to Disney World to keep me focused and working hard. So, as we walked down Main Street USA, I couldn't quite contain my excitement. I tried to take in everything at once; the smells, the sights, the sounds. We were here.
The first thing we did was find a souvenir shop and commit to some t-shirts. We'd been hunting the entire trip, and decided that we weren't going to find something perfect so we'd get something that was good enough. Nate picked a steel blue shirt with Mickey, I found a pink one that had fireworks and all of the parks represented. We went to the bathroom to change and then straight over to get photos with Mickey.
As an interesting aside, when we got in line, we were handed a yellow tag. The staff member explained that they wanted to know how long the line would take, and could we carry the tag through the line? I'd never seen that before, but it was fun to be a part of the system.
We waited a while, chatting with the people in front of us; two couples who were friends and had seven kids between them. Then when we got to the front of the line we were escorted into a hallway with a number of doors. As we entered the room with Mickey we noted the people in front of us weren't there. "Oh, how smart, a bunch of different Mickey rooms," we said aloud, and the guide briskly reminded us that there was only ONE Mickey. She was very serious about it, and we started giggling together as soon as she was out of sight. We primped, posed, Mickey told us a joke, and we were off! Pictures: check. Time for the park.
First up: Tomorrowland. More than any other day, Magic Kingdom was dictated by our fast passes. It was a Friday and also Valentine's Day, and the crowds had descended. I love being prepared and having plan, and it was finally my time to shine! We started with Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, where you climb into a pod with lazer guns and help Buzz battle the evil Zorg. You score points for hits, and we successfully saved the universe. Phew!
We were right near Space Mountain, so we waited through the line for that. It was really the first time we waited in a long line the entire trip, but they had some interesting interactive games on the way to keep you distracted. The ride is a roller coaster that hurdles through the dark with minimal lighting. Nate enjoyed it; I stepped through the car straight away and met him at the exit.
Our next fast pass was Pirates of the Carribean, so we headed towards Adventureland. I love Jungle Cruise, not only for its adorable animatronics but also for the pun-filled commentary from the guide. We laughed, we cried, we escaped a Hippo attack, and stayed mostly dry. Next up was time for Pirates. Argh! They had retooled some of the scenes and Jack Sparrow to match the Johnny Depp movies, and so there were fun new surprises for me too. We barely escaped with our lives - dead men tell no tales. Pirates of the Carribean remains a classic and a favorite. As we were exiting, a line was forming at the Tiki Room next door, so we joined in the fun there. I forgot just how many seemingly inanimate objects in there spring to life, and of course know the song by heart.
North to Frontierland. We had lunch, looked at the wait time for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (too long), took a quick tour of Splash Mountain (closed for cleaning), and waved to the bears at the Country Bear Jambouree before heading back across the park. On the way there was clearly something going on at Cinderella's Castle. A Princess Party! Seriously. We stopped and watched the festivities; dancing, singing, lots of colorful fun. As I write this it sounds cheesy, but you're so immersed in the Disney experience it was just fun. Every park had its share of random events that you would just stumble upon, and each helped make the experience more delightful.
Fantasyland was one of our last stops. Much of it is created for younger kids, but Its a Small World was one that I didn't think we could miss. Its probably one of the most dated rides, and the song gets stuck in your head in a terrible way, but its a Disney classic. There are a few other fun things there, and they were building a new mine cart roller coaster based on the mine from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but we had a FastPass for the Haunted Mansion, and had to jet.
Liberty Square holds both the Haunted Mansion and the Hall of Presidents. We did both, in that order. Haunted Mansion doesn't take itself too seriously. Pods travel through various haunted locales, and there are various optical illusions that make you do a double-take to check if you actually saw what you'd though you did. I wasn't super excited about the Hall of Presidents, but ended up being very impressed. It started with a film talking about the founding of America and how its greatest strength is the ability for the people to improve the democratic process over the years. Then an animatronic Lincoln sitting center stage gave a speech. Later he was joined by all of the American Presidents. As new Presidents been elected their animatronic dopplegangers have been added. Each was introduced and made a small gesture to draw your eye to them.
We were hoping to have a nice dinner, something romantic for Valentine's Day. We tried 'Be Our Guest', which was a new Beauty and the Beast themed restaurant set back in a mountain. Apparently you can ask to 'try the gray stuff', it's delicious. Unfortunately they were full. Reservations booked weeks in advance full. We wandered about the park trying all of the sit-down places. Full. So we made our own date, got some burgers, and found the most romantic bench we could in Tomorrowland. After looking for a place to eat, things were getting late, so we scarfed our food down (romantically) and headed back for the center of the park in front of the castle to get good spots for the evening's grand finale.
We sat down on a curb next to a family with a young girl, maybe six or seven years old. We also made friends with a young couple that was sitting near us, who lived about an hour away and had come up for the day. As we were conversing with them, I was listening to things going on around us. The young girl asked her parents if they had any food, she was hungry. I turned to Nate and asked if we had any more granola bars, who handed one to me with a raised eyebrow. I turned and gave it to the girl with a smile, who also looked surprised. I realized that I was listening to them talk in Spanish, so Nate didn't know why I wanted the bar and the girl was surprised I had known what she wanted. We laughed together, and found out that they were visiting from Argentina, and it was her first trip also.
Then the show started. Its difficult to describe the feeling, except that it felt a lot like being at the Rally to Restore Sanity and Fear, with thousands of people who had come together in love of something and were all enjoying it together. Everyone beamed. Things kicked off with a projector show with the castle as the screen. Wreck it Ralph climbed the towers, shattering the windows as he went, and Fix It Felix followed behind to save the day. The snow swirled around Elsa as she sang, and the crowd sang with her. We were united.
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