Our much anticipated first visit of the trip to the Magic Kindgom and new Fantasyland finally arrived. And it was so worth the wait!!! We got to the park in time for the Opening Ceremony and it was every bit as magical as expected!!!
We snapped a few quick requisite pics in front of the castle and carousel on our way to NEW FANTASYLAND!!!
Our first attraction of the day was the brand new Enchanted Tales with Belle. There is no fast pass for this so head there first thing in the morning and expect a little wait. It was SO worth it and immediately became my new favorite thing in all of Disney. A very intimate group (think 10 kids plus parents) is ushered into Maurice’s workshop. We loved seeing how we measured up to Belle on her growth chart :-)
The magic mirror opens to a room where littles and adults alike are given “parts” to act out by Madame Wardrobe. At this point the baby urgently had to use the potty so Honey and him stepped out. John was cast as Beast and given a red cape to wear for his part. Everyone that wants a part can have one and if you do, there is a special treat to come :-)
At this point I already thought the attraction was just the best, yet figured it was over. However, we were then ushered into the library where Lumiere and Belle herself came to greet us!
The cast members help each of the “characters” act out more of the story – this time with Belle! As Beast, John did everything from “scare” Belle and the audience to a little waltz with her. It was so beautiful and magical that I cried. I know, I know… but seeing as I don’t have a little girl to go Bibbity Bobbity Boutiquing with, I have to get my princess fix where I can. (Flash photography is not permitted, so excuse the blurriness of these.)
At the end, each person in a role gets a quick picture with Belle and a keepsake bookmark. PhotoPass photographers are on hand and pass out special cards to retrieve photos on-line afterwards (for a pretty penny.) It was such a special attraction and a moment we will remember for a very long time!
After Enchanted Tales, we headed back over to the classic Fantasyland attractions… Peter Pan, Carousel, It’s a Small World (I’d never seen the clock in action), the Teacups, etc.
Be Our Guest is a quick serve restaurant for lunch and doesn’t take reservations. Since it opens at 11, we headed over at about 10:45 to get in line (it was pretty short at that time). Beast’s castle is stunning and straight out of the movie reels. Our lunch here far surpassed our breakfast at Cinderella’s Royal Table last year (unless you need the parade of princesses). Move over Cinderella, there’s a new princess in town!
Once inside, guests queue in a hall of gorgeous stained glass and medieval armor. Kiosks preview the menu.
At the hostess stand, you are given a red rose and ushered to a touch screen to order. You tap your rose to the ordering device and then take your rose to your table. Your meal arrives at the table on a regal cart. Seeing as I have a party with three boys, we opted to dine in the mysterious West Wing. The portrait flashes to Beast periodically and petals fall from the red rose as Beast’s time runs out. John stayed in his Beast character throughout our meal. The food was super yummy here and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal!!
The other dining rooms were absolutely stunning. The picture of the main room hardly does it justice – the chandeliers were dripping with crystals and outside the windows you saw snowflakes falling over the mountains. The life sized music box in the Rose Gallery shows Belle and Beast dancing under a starry night. I can hardly imagine how wonderful dinner must be – I heard Beast is there when you exit!
Next we headed over to Ariel’s new castle. The ride was sweet and structured in only the way Disney Imagineers can do.
In the new Storybook Circus, we met Goofy and Donald and took a whirl on Goofy’s Barnstormer. This was the baby’s favorite attraction in all of Disney World!!
Honey and I each took a turn riding Space Mountain with the PCP and during Honey’s turn I took the baby over to Monster’s Inc. We texted in a joke on his behalf in hopes that it would get read during the show. “From Whit in Atlanta: How do you make a tissue dance? Put a little boogie in it!” Well lo and behold, if they didn’t single out the baby (who they thought was named Rick, not Whit) and read him his very own joke!! When they asked him what he wants to be when he grows up he replied “a daddy” much to the delight of the audience.
This family takes our games seriously so the fierce concentration exhibited in Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin was not unexpected.
We headed back to Main Street to secure a spot for the Celebrate a Dream Come True parade. It rained during this parade last year so we caught the Rainy Day Parade version instead.
As soon as the parade passed we hopped town to the Town Square Theater to meet Mickey AND the princesses! This is a great time to go because the lines are pretty short (5 min for Mickey, 10 for princesses).
Next on the agenda were all of the fun rides in Frontierland and Adventureland. We did Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain (twice!) and Thunder Mountain before having supper at Pecos Bill’s (another favorite quick serve eatery).
After supper we watched the Electric Light Parade – a favorite from my childhood that’s really stood the test of time. Like last year, the littles were completely enamored with the twinkling lights, tinkling music and their favorite characters.
Nearing the end of our long, magical and memorable day at the Magic Kingdom, we found spots right in front of the castle for the Wishes Fireworks show. The Christmas parts were fantastically festive and so special to see! And the Castle dripping in lights – wow! I have no words for how stunning it was in person.
We wrapped up our evening back at Gaston’s Tavern in new Fantasyland. They offer healthy snacks in a cozy, fireside setting. We snacked on pretzels, hummus and apples while sipping on Le Fou’s brew. It was SO yummy and unique!!
We could hardly believe it when we realized we spent thirteen hours straight in the park. It was truly a magical day – I just don’t know how they could get any better than this!
xoxo
I am loving the Disney updates. I feel like I am reliving our trip from September but the new Fantasyland was not open then. Hopefully we can take that in next year. Have a ball!
Oh My gosh! I can't believe you were in the park for SO long!! We didn't do any of the fantasyland attractions. :( My boys weren't interested. Oh well. Looks like you guys had a BLAST :)
Hey! I am loving all of you updates. we are going with my two boys (5&2)in Feb. I think I may be more excited than them…I didnt see a stroller, did the boys make it all day with out one?
We took the stroller but ended up leaving it in the room the whole time. That being said, last year they were 5 and 2 and we used the stroller constantly. The year made a huge difference!
I can't believe your littlest went without a stroller! Our daughter was 5 when we went last Dec (2013) and she needed a stroller! Girls! :) I just wanted to comment to say that the way you "toured" Magic Kingdom in this post could be deceiving to first timers as you made it look SO easy and breezy! I think you have great ideas about times to do certain things and you were able to do a bunch of stuff! When we went Be Our Guest was already a 45 min wait at 10:45am (although now they have FP for lunch!) and Gaston's Tavern was too packed to even get in! You do Disney wonderfully is what I'm trying to say :)
How do you get your night time and "dark rides" pictures to come out so well??? I am going in Decemebr with my 2yo and last year so many pics came out blurry due to flash/no flash problems! :)