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Published: November 17th 2016
We've Arrived at the Magic Kingdom
We're here for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party!We're on a most magical adventure.
Today, we went to the Magic Kingdom for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. This is a special event that requires a party ticket. Party-goers can arrive at the park at 4pm, and non-party visitors leave the park at 7pm. We arrived at 3:30pm, and we were let in shortly before 4pm. That worked out for us because we had dinner reservations at Beast's castle at 4:25. The restaurant is called "Be Our Guest," and it's a difficult reservation to get. Up until a few days before our trip, we only had a reservation for 2 because it was all we could find. Thankfully, one opened up for 4 people this week, and Andrew managed to snag it for us!
Before we went to the castle, we stopped to use our first FastPass+ at Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. Disney World allows guests to pre-book 3 FastPasses a day. You get a 1 hour window to go on a ride with almost no wait. We had Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin reserved from 3:20pm-4:20pm. It's a ride where kids get a laser gun and can try to hit a bunch of targets for points.
It was a big hit! We were in and out of that ride in no time. We made our way to Fantasyland for our reservation and still had 10 minutes! Rather than check in and wait, we decided to quick use our FastPass+ for Under the Sea, the Little Mermaid ride. That FastPass+ started at 4:20pm, but Andrew was able to use the app to bump it up to 4:10. We got off of that ride and checked into the castle for our dinner reservation, and we were seated in approximately 5 minutes. I felt like we'd gotten to do so much, and we'd only been to the park for half an hour!
The castle is amazing. Really, the details blew me away. We dined in the ballroom, which appeared to be made entirely out of marble. I'm sure it wasn't, but that's how it looked! The ceiling was painted with cherubs, just like in the film. There was also the stained glass window from the film. At approximately 5pm, the Beast himself came out, and guests were invited to meet their host after dinner. He only comes for dinner, so it's a special treat to see him! The
kids were excited to meet Beast, but, first, we had to try the gray stuff (it was delicious).
We opted not to use our final FastPass+ after dinner. It was for the Dumbo ride, and Andrew thought the kids might get sick on a spinning ride after a big meal. He was probably right. We made our way toward Main Street to meet my in-laws, Paul and Colleen, who'd just arrived from Denver. They are the ones treating us on this amazing trip! As we walked toward Main Street, a show started at the castle. We stopped to watch Elsa freeze the castle, which lit it up spectacularly with Christmas lights. Amazing! Paul & Colleen got to see the show, too. We finally met up with them near Jungle Cruise, which was changed to "Jingle Cruise." That line was long, but Pirates of the Caribbean was only at a 5 minute wait. So, we rode that ride, and then we ate some of the free holiday cookies that party guests get (we got snickerdoodles & cocoa).
After eating our cookies, we made our way toward Main Street to find a spot for the Christmas parade. It was about
7:30pm, and the parade starts at 8:30pm. It was too late to get a front row spot, but we camped behind a nice couple who were seated in scooters. We figured, they'd be seated for the parade, and so we could stand up behind them and see just fine. Well, just then, the people sitting next to the couple left! We scored a front-row spot. Jo promptly fell asleep, and Oliver enjoyed dancing in the "snow" that fell on Main Street. He was all smiles, and I felt so happy seeing him have such a good time. The parade came, and it was totally worth waiting an hour for. Jo woke up in time to see Anna, Elsa, and Olaf. She was delighted to see Clarabelle! I think her favorite float was Cinderella in the pumpkin carriage, though. Oliver liked all of the Frozen floats, too, but he was also pretty happy to see the Toy Story float. I loved every minute of the experience, and I thought the party tickets were worth it for the parade alone!
When the AMAZING Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas Time parade was over, we met back up with Paul and Colleen on
Jo's excited to eat at Beast's castle.
We were very lucky to have reservations at "Be Our Guest!" a patio at an ice cream shop. Paul's leg was bothering him a bit, and so they'd sat there during the parade. It was a great spot for fireworks. Paul and I held the table while the other four went back to ride Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger spin again. They got back right when the Holiday Wishes fireworks started. Holiday music played, and the show was beautiful. I felt so happy to be there in that moment, and then Tinkerbell came flying down from the castle. Oliver was so stunned. Now, this afternoon, I'd told him we were going to the Magic Kingdom. He informed me that magic isn't real, and I'd said that it is at the Magic Kingdom. So, when Tinkerbell came flying through the air, Oliver was completely floored. He kept asking if that was real. My favorite part was when he turned to Andrew and said, "Dad, can you look up on your phone if magic is real?" His face was one of complete surprise and excitement. I teared up. A minute later, he went back to being his skeptical self and told me he's pretty sure they got some really strong wings, and then the
person laid flat and held onto something that made them really light, like a balloon, and then they just coasted softly to the ground. OK, Oliver.
After fireworks, we caught our shuttle back to our resort. I couldn't have asked for a more magical day.
Below this post are more pictures of "Be Our Guest" and the Once Upon a Christmas Time parade.
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