DAY 2 " MAGIC KINGDOM
We woke up at 6:30 to get ready for our first full day at Magic Kingdom. We waited a few short minutes for the bus and were on our way. Arriving at Magic Kingdom during the day is a lot different than at night. Following bag check a helpful Cast Member showed us the way to the entry for those with reservations. We walked through the tunnel and met our our CM friend on Main Street USA.
We had photos taken together and then made our way to Crystal Palace for breakfast with Winnie the Pooh and his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood. We didn't have to wait long to get in. Crystal Palace is a beautiful building, well lit, and full of happy people and families. Our character interactions were awesome. 
We had brought a little plush squirrel, named Squirrelly Shirley, who was a real hit! 
All the characters enjoyed her, except Piglet, who hid from her briefly! I still wonder how he'd have reacted to a Heffalump plush. Food was fresh and plentiful. Highlights included puffed french toast and cheddar bacon scones. I had two plates. 
Watching the characters lead a little parade around the room, followed by a gaggle of children was very cute. I would happily go again. 
We entered Fantasyland via the path to the left of the castle. A short side note about that; during the entire trip I had only two opportunities to walk through the castle as it seemed to be blocked off much of the time for shows. The mosaics in the tunnel are impressive. There were more people out and about but it didn't seem crowded.
Our first attraction was Peter Pan's Flight which was stunning, especially the first few scenes; I can see why it is so popular, despite it having a short duration. Essentially, it is the movie in miniature, with beautiful sets. A tiny Tink is featured.
Next we rode It's a Small World. A true classic, it requires several viewings to see it all. The song is so catchy. Tried to see hidden mickeys but no luck. Mickeys Philharmagic was our next stop; it not only lets you sit down for a new precious minutes but is hilarious. The effects were a real surprise!
I had earlier explained to our CM friend that I had forgot my autograph book at Pop the night before. She very kindly offered to get those autographs for me while we were at Philharmagic! It is this sort of action that makes Disney magical. Cast Members routinely go out of their way to add pixie dust to guest's vacations.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was nice, as we're both fans of Pooh, but it wasn't as impressive as Peter Pan. The Heffalumps and Woozles were creepy! We purchased a small Roo at the gift shop.
Tomorrowland was next, as we had fast passes for Space Mountain. This is an attraction I have been hearing about all my life so I was ready and willing! Fast Pass enabled us to walk on to it. I asked for front car which was permitted and I had my first (and only) ride on this classic. As much as it is hyped, riding a roller coaster in the dark is not my cup of tea. I felt it to be too jerky, but am glad I did ride it at least once. Dawn sat it out. She doesn't do roller coasters.
Back to Fantasyland, where we did the remaining attractions. First I rode Prince Charming Regal Carrousel, then Mad Tea Party. I wasn't going to miss an opportunity to ride a tea cup! My lovely wife Dawn sat these two out as spinning does not agree with her. I made that tea cup spin as fast as I could, laughing like a hyena during the ride, which caused me to be a bit wobbly on my feet as I exited the attraction. I managed to catch a glimpse of Dormouse popping out from atop the attraction. We also met White Rabbit next to Mad Tea Party, but missed Alice by a few minutes.
We then met Cinderella 
and Rapunzel who were both awesome. I asked Rapunzel where her frying pan was. 
She said it was around somewhere. They both liked Squirrelly Shirley. Enchanted Tales with Belle was impressive; the beginning in her fathers workshop was stunning and unexpected. We were picked to be a part of the show! I was a feather duster, Dawn was an ottoman. For our efforts we were rewarded with free bookmarks!
Fast Passes for 7 Dwarfs Mine Train. Our CM friend and I managed to coax Dawn onto the ride and she loved it! I'm sure glad we didn't wait in the standby line. For a roller coaster it is an exceptionally smooth ride. I bet you could put a cup of coffee next to you on the seat and it would stay upright. The mine scene was full of glowing gems and a lot of detail.
Under the Sea featured a very realistic, nearly life-like animatronic of Ariel, and snippets of the best songs from the movie. Next we met Ariel at her Grotto. This time I'd remembered to bring our autograph book. She had her mermaid tail and was very cheerful!
I managed to find a survey marker and hidden Oswald on the ground. We than scampered over to a nice spot near the hub to watch the Festival of Fantasy parade, a spot recommended by our CM friend.
I recommend this parade to everyone. Incredible, intricately detailed costumes, dancing, fantastic floats featuring all the best characters, and great music combine to create a real spectacle. The finale, featuring a huge fire-breathing Maleficent dragon, was amazing, the showpiece of the parade. Our viewing location afforded us a fantastic and very up close look at everything. I took a lot of photos.
Dumbo the Flying Elephant was THE classic ride not to be missed. Riding an elephant is more fun than you might think. Being able to move it up and down was a nice feature. Barnstormer was excellent too, though short, and it felt somewhat jerky compared to 7 Dwarfs Mine Train. Its theme was fun.
Haunted Mansion was next. Wow. The graveyard is an amazing introduction to the attraction. I particularly liked the busts, especially the one with the moving eyes! It quickly became my favourite attraction at Magic Kingdom. I did it three times during our vacation and I think it gets better every time. It is a spectacular attraction; intricate details, amazing atmosphere, stunning animatronics. The stretching room is very cool, with a startling feature. The dining room scene was incredible as was Leota and the catchy song. The final scene in the graveyard is stunning. Afterwards I found the Memento Mori gift shop and purchased some very cool plates and place mats, having them delivered to our resort.
Enchanted Tiki Room was awesome. Dawn was less impressed than I was, but I happily found it to be a good deal longer than I was expecting. It is difficult to absorb it all; being surrounded by all the birds and flowers was very cool. That song will never leave my head and there is not a bad seat in the place. The introductory birds in the queue by the waterfall were hilarious. We found Dole Whips! Yum.
Pirates of the Caribbean was a visual feast, in particular the first sight of the scene featuring the pirate ship and fort. Wow. I was expecting to hear more of the song though; finding it in only one scene was a disappointment. Also, I felt the addition of Jack Sparrow to be a bit jarring. You can tell it is an animatronic ages beyond those on the rest of the attraction.
Jungle Cruise is, I feel, designed to be seen at night. Our driver was very funny, full of corny jokes. Even if his spiel is memorized, and I'm sure it is, it felt spontaneous. The whole boat kept laughing at his jokes. It is a long ride too, with so much to see, and is a great way to rest one's aching feet. The only downside was when my poor wife fell upon climbing out of the boat. Cast Members were there in seconds to assist. Dawn bashed her knees pretty good, and this essentially put her out of action for the rest of the trip. She ended up staying at the resort, nursing her injuries, but wasn't too upset about it. She loved the food and atmosphere of Pop, and is admittedly not the Disney fanatic that I am.
We ended up at the hub for Wishes!, a spot I would not choose again. It was far too crowded and Cast Members holding glowing red wands were having troubles keeping people from the marked paths. It must be like herding cats for them. I found them to be firm, yet polite. One cast member had me laughing at her attempt to get people to fill a space near a tree, "The fireworks are in the sky, you do not need to see the castle!" Once again, as Wishes! began, I became emotional. It truly is stunning. Tinker Bell flew overhead to a cheering crowd, and this time I could see her much better than the previous night. The song is so beautiful. "Star light, star bright..."
After our day together, our cast member friend bid us adieu. We planned on meeting up again at EPCOT.
Afterwards, knowing that Main Street USA would be a zoo following Wishes!, we ducked into the Emporium. Dawn was really hoping to find a Chip hat we had seen in pictures, a hat that resembled his head. As things turned out, we never did find it; apparently it was a discontinued item from a year or so ago. We did find matching blue baseball hats with nice D logo later at Everything Pop.
A word about merchandise; there is a plethora of product available, everywhere. For some reason I didn't find much in the way of DVD's though, maybe I didn't go to the right place? We purchased five plushes, though we could have ended up with the cast of every animated feature had we wanted to! Memento Mori is a great store, a wonderful addition to Magic Kingdom. There is sooo much clothing! I had to carefully pick and choose.
Once the crowds had died down we made our way to the bus. When we got there a Cast Member explained the bus didn't have room for Dawn's scooter and we would have to wait for the next bus. I cheerfully explained we had no problem waiting, and then a little Disney Magic happened; Somehow he managed to get us aboard! I made sure to thank him!
A long, but rewarding day was over. Once back at Pop we had a late supper. The excitement of the day had us up late talking about everything and it wasn't till around 3 or 4 that we got to sleep.
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