The park wasn't crowded and the lines were very short. We decided to first go to the rides that usually had long lines. In the first 90 minutes were able to ride a lot of things: Peter Pan, It's a Small World, Winnie the Pooh, the Tomorrowland race cars, and the Astro Orbiter (basically like Dumbo but faster).
Peter Pan's Flight was really well done. It makes you feel like you are flying through the air with Peter Pan and Wendy. It's one of the original rides at Disney World. Winnie the Pooh was also great. You rode through different parts of the hundred-acre wood and in parts of it you hopped along with Tigger. One nice touch was that they had things for the kids to play with while standing in line, but fortunately we didn't have to stand in line too long (maybe 5 minutes).
Katie loved driving her race car. It took a little while for her to get the hang of steering but she eventually did. She was nervous going on to the Astro Orbiter but ended up really enjoying it.
Then we rode the carousel and Peter Pan again. Then Katie and I went into the Haunted Mansion. She said she was scared to go in but I thought she would be fine once it started. Big mistake. It got off to a bad start and never got better. The waiting room goes dark and the portraits turn to zombies. It was scarier than I remembered and to a 5 year old, it must have been horrifying. I kept trying to calm her down by telling her it was all fake and we'd be fine. After the dark room, we hopped on little cars that take us on a tour of the scary house. There's an exit for scaredy cats that I came close to taking because she was crying but decided that she'd probably be ok. She hung in there and was very brave but she was definitely scared and didn't enjoy it at all. At that point I realized talking her into riding the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad rollercoaster would be a bad idea.
Katie and Nancy waited for Jasmine while Peter and I went to the Bear Country Jamboree, which Peter loved. Each time an animatronic bear would appear, he would point and say hi. Then he clapped along with the music. Katie got to meet Jasmine and Alladin.
Then we met up for lunch at the Crystal Palace and got to meet the characters from Winnie the Pooh including Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore, and, of course, Winnie the Pooh. Katie and Peter both loved meeting all the characters and me and Nancy loved sitting down for so long in the air conditioning.
We decided to take a break and head back to the hotel. But on the way out, we stopped in and met Mickey and Minnie. The kids were exhausted by this point but held it together long enough to avoid any meltdowns.
Peter fell asleep on the walk back to the hotel and I volunteered to stay with him while Katie and Nancy went swimming and played games at the pool.
Back at the Magic Kingdom, we headed for Adventureland and rode Alladin's Magic Carpets (again). Then Katie and I went on the Pirates of the Caribbean. She was scared at first and I was worried it would end up badly like the Haunted Mansion. But she was very brave and even ended up enjoying the ride. It helped that some nice southern ladies saw that she was nervous and kept telling her how much fun the ride is. Katie's favorite parts were the lady chasing a pirate around with a broom and the dogs and chickens.
Then we went on the Jungle Boat which was a lot of fun. We got to see animatronic elephants (which Peter loved), alligators, cannibals, hippos, and lots of other stuff. The boat tour guide was very cheesy but kept it entertaining. What his jokes lacked in quality they made up for in quantity.
Afterwards we went to the Country Bear Jamboree again (this time with all of us), ate dinner, and then watched the Electric Light Parade again. After the parade, most of the crowd either left or went to the castle for the fireworks. Instead, we decided to spend our last hour at the Magic Kingdom re-riding our favorite rides. We left it up to Katie to decided and much to our delight, she picked the old classics -- It's a Small World, Winnie the Pooh, and the Spinning Teacups.
Then we caught the tail end of the fireworks and finally, around 11pm, said goodbye to the Magic Kingdom and trudged back to the hotel. It was very sad to leave but we were happy that everything went so well. We rode everything we wanted to, the kids (and us) had a great time, and we managed to avoid any big meltdowns.
We were sad to leave but looking forward to our next adventure... the Animal Kingdom!
The kids playing in Pooh's house, one of the fun things to play in while waiting in line.
Another thing to play with while waiting in line. The kids were a little disappointed that the line moved so fast and they didn't get more time to play.
At the noisy raceway.
Katie behind the wheel.
Peter shows off his new mouse ears. Of course, a few hours later Katie had to have her own mouse ears.
Jasmine may be a little high-maintenance
Katie hugs Winnie the Pooh during lunch.
Our expressive kids with Piglet.
Tigger
Eeyore
Peter waiting in line to meet Mickey and Minnie. He was either trying to rest or get a better view of Mickey, or both.
Peter hugs Mickey...
...and then runs back to Mommy.
Peter with his new Mickey doll. They were basically inseparable the rest of the trip.
Katie playing a game at the hotel pool with a new friend.
Enjoying a snack before heading back out.
Tinkerbell at the Electric Light Parade.
Goofy, Minnie, and Mickey.
The clock strikes midnight for Cinderella.
Pete's dragon
About to board the boat at It's a Small World. At this point at night, there was no line at all and we had the boat to ourselves.
It's a Small World. The kids loved all the singing figures and would enthusiatically point them out.
It's a Small World
Peter points something out at It's a Small World.
Goodnight Princess!
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