Tuesday, June 5, 2012

6/5/12: Magic Kingdom - Merida, Fireworks Dessert Party and More!

The highlight of going to Disney World is going to Magic Kingdom.  I will not cover it all, but just some highlights.  The kids love riding the rides, seeing the characters and going to Bippidi Boppidi in the Castle.  Here they are after they went there on Evan's Birthday.
 Of course you need to do a picture in front of the Castle after getting done up.  I will do a separate post on Bippidi Boppidi.
Happy Birthday Evan!
Of course the biggest highlight is seeing the characters.  Here is a slide show of them.
This year a highlight was seeing the new Disney character Merida who will be in Brave opening on June 22nd.  She is in the same area that Rapunzel used to be in to the Right of the Castle.
 Another fun thing is the kids got to shoot a bow and arrow while waiting.
 Evan and Lauren enjoyed this.
Here we are on our first day ready to "Let the Memories Begin!"
 Lauren got to ride Space Mountain for the first time.  She liked it!
 Lauren loves the Carousel.
 Here is Prince Evan.
Another of the kids favorite rides is Small World which we ride quite a few times during our trip.
 One cool thing is that a PhotoPass photographer saw Evan trying to pull up the sword.  He came over and told Evan if his sister could pull the sword up would he do what she wanted to do all day?  He was very surprised when she was able to do it.  Tip:  Look out for a PhotoPass photographer and maybe they will do this for you.
 Wow was Lauren surprised when she could pull up the Sword!  This is the first time I saw this happen.
 There is a huge expansion going on in Fantasy Land.  Goofy's Barnstormer roller coaster has been rebuilt.  It used to exist in Toon Town which is no longer.
 Here is a view of the Beauty and the Beast Castle being built for dining.  This will be a quick service facility during the day and a sit down meal at night.  A cast member told me holiday season this year it should be open.  I can't wait!
This is so adorable.
 I had never seen this, we got to see this vehicle driving around early morning at Magic Kingdom.  Tip:  We always get in to the park early and do Bippity Boppity before the park opens.  This is my favorite time to walk around the park and take pictures in front of the Castle.  I highly recommend it!  Plus you will be in the park before everyone and once they open you can go to whatever you want to do first without a line.
 Evan's actual birthday at the Castle!  Tip:  If you are celebrating a birthday make sure you put it on all your reservations for the week.  Each dining location does something a little different.  Some bring a cupcake, some bring a card for the birthday child signed by all the characters.
 Wishing on a star.
 We also ate at Ohana and this was a big hit with Lauren.  She loves Stitch and you get to see him, Lilo, Mickey and Pluto.
 Evan being silly.
 Another cool new thing is a Sorcerer game in Magic Kingdom.  You pick up cards and a map right next to where Princess Tiana is and then use your key card on several locations throughout Magic Kingdom to unlock screens that you can hold a spell up to and then move on to another location.
 It is a really cool technology and a cast member told me they are going to evolve it to include a Medium and Advanced version.  Right now it is at an Easy level.
 I never get sick of this view!
The last thing we did which was new and special for Evan's birthday was the Tommorrowland Terrace Fireworks display.  Unfortunately Evan wasn't feeling well when we went as it was a long day starting with Bippity Boppity at 8 am.  Tip: This experience must be booked in advance and allows you to watch the fireworks and Electrical Parade (from a distance) without the crowds.  It also provides desserts, drinks, and coffee for over an hour to enjoy.  The view of the Fireworks is tremendous from this location.   I thought it was well worth doing.
Here is a slide show on that.

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