Easter in the Park

Day 4 - (Part 2) Magic Kingdom

After our brunch at Chef Mickey's, we headed via monorail over to the Magic Kingdom.

The boys were chomping at the bit to ride Pirates of the Caribbean. So, on our way to the ride, we stopped at Jungle Cruise and grabbed fast passes. As we approached the ride, we saw that it was only a 10 minute wait....yippee! The boys loved it. This is NOW Max's favorite ride, bumping Goofy's Barnstormer to 3rd or 4th place behind Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and this! He is definitely our little thrill junkie!

Of course, as we exited the ride via the gift shop (go figure), they wanted to get pirate swords and guns, but we were able to explain that they can't take those on the plane! David did try on a Jack Sparrow hat, but decided against it!

Then, we hung out some more in Adventureland by going on the Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Enchanted Tiki Room, Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, and then the Jungle Cruise.

As we headed to Splash Mountain, the little girls fell asleep! Perfect timing since they couldn't ride it.
Max giggled and smiled the whole time and got so excited about the big drop. When it was done, he was actually a little disappointed that he didn't get very wet.

As we exited that ride, we noticed the line for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was not very long and he really wanted to ride it again. So, my mom (also a thrill junkie) wanted to ride it with him and she didn't get a chance to the first time we rode it. So, my in-laws and my brother and sister in-law and the little girls headed over to the Haunted Mansion. We thought the girls would sleep, but the wait was only 5 minutes and I really wanted to see all the new changes. They woke up and Cate was NOT a fan...oh, well. Guess she gets that from me since I didn't like it until I was in college program! Great new scenes and updates! It is 10 times better!

As we left the Haunted Mansion, we got a call that they were done, too. So, we opted to eat at Columbia Harbor House for dinner. This is one of my all time favorite quick service locations. Their soups and salads are really good and there is lots of seating! During dinner, we told Max that we had done the Haunted Mansion and he was upset that he didn't get to do it. I was shocked! He had told me everytime I mentioned it that he DIDN'T want to do it. So, after dinner, I took him on it while everyone else headed to It's a Small World with the girls. Matt hadn't had a chance to ride a ride with Cate, so this was the perfect opportunity.

Once we met up again, Max went to the Pooh play area and we took Cate and Madison on the Mad Tea Party. Remember how I mentioned my sheer joy watching Max ride Goofy's Barnstormer for the first time. Well, I got to experience that with Cate on those teacups. Our plan getting on was not to whip her around and just spin with the natural movement of the ride. Cate had a different plan. She liked to spin it and with each spin, she giggled louder!
When we got off, she did her sign for more! It was the first time the whole vacation that she had done that. So, my mom took her on it one more time while my in-laws, Matt, and David went to Goofy's Barnstormer with Max. This time, they got to experience his absolute glee on the ride!


While waiting for them, we decided to take the little girls to meet the princesses. The line to the fairies was twice as long! We met Aurora, Cinderella and Belle. My mom and I were almost in tears watching Cate just gaze up at the Princesses and run up and hug them. (Below are pics taken with PhotoPass and we bought the CD so that we own the rights to them).

Telling Aurora that she is two (she puts out both forefingers for "2")

As she ran up to Belle, she went and sat on the bench behind her. Belle asked her if she was moving in, and Cate shook her head yes. Belle pretended to leave and told Cate she could take over and sign autographs and Cate again shook her head yes! It was definitely a Pie and Ice Cream moment!
By this time, it was dusk and the kids were exhausted. So, we made our way up Main Street and said good-bye to the kiddos. My dad and I were staying for SpectroMagic and Wishes fireworks. I personally can't go to WDW and NOT see them at least once!

While waiting for the parade to start, my dad (and mom) bought me a Mickey watch. Cate took my watch (from Switzerland that I got on my senior trip) and put it somewhere about 9 months ago. I have been wanting another watch and finally got it! Thanks, Mom and Dad! I plan to do a post soon about all our souvenirs, so you'll just have to wait to see the picture of it!

All in all, this was my favorite Easter of all time. I was with my family in my favorite place on Earth. The weather was perfect, the lines were short, the food was scrumptious, and best of all I got to top it off with the best fireworks and view in the world!

*Disclaimer: This post contains pictures from our Disney PhotoPass CD. Because we purchased the CD, we now own the right to them and the ability to share them.