Day 8...The Magic Kingdom

So as we planned this Florida trip Disney was not the #1 reason for our trip to Florida...we were headed to see our good friends Mike, Niki & Madison....getting to go to Disney was just bonus.  We had planned to only go for 2 days and then go back in a few years to spend more time.  Well when we got to Florida so did a nasty tropical storm that brought Florida lots of rain.  My dreams of having a couple fun beach days with our friends washed away as well.  So as we looked at the forecast and discount prices to Disney we decided to change plans and hit the parks for 5 days.  Atleast at some of the parks there were inside parts if we needed to get out of the rain.  So we started our Disney journey at little early...starting at the Magic Kingdom!!  I had been to Disney once the summer before 3rd grade and Jared had never been.  It's a HUGE expense and one that at times made be nauseous to think about...but as we walked in the gates that first day I can tell you I immediately knew every penny we spent was well worth it.  The Disney experience doesn't disappoint...it is AMAZING...it really is the happiest place on earth.  I have wonderful memories of being there as a kid...but to see Disney thru our children's eyes was pure JOY!!    I'm so thankful we found the discount tickets that enables us to enjoy 5 days...because we needed all 5 days and then some to see all these parks have to offer.  I can't wait to go back again when the kids are a little older!!

Highlights of the Day:

Grace...The Dumbo ride, the amazing parade and getting autograph's

Isabelle...The It's a small world ride (which was my favorite ride when I was a kid) and meeting Daisy duck

Samuel...Meeting pluto and Buzz and the Buzzlight year ride

Sophia...Meeting Rapunzel and the tea cup ride

Jared...Watching the kids excitement

 Isabelle all ready...in her momma made shirt!!:) 

 LOVE!!

 It took a little bit for us to get into a groove once we were inside the Magic Kingdom there is so much to see, so much to do!!!  Jared and I immediately jumped into lines for some of the rides we thought the kids would love...only to be met with a little resistance.  After about 30 minutes of not normal behavior from our crew we sat down and had a little family meeting.  Well in all the excitement we had missed that what the kids really wanted to do first were to meet some characters...so we made a little detour in our day...found some character (thanks to an awesome Disney world i-phone app)  We got some pictures, grabbed some autographs and then the kids were ready to ride some rides!! :)

 Just a couple of our favorite rides...

It was the most perfect day...the kids hardly stopped smiling.  A couple of things that helped us..

*Disney i-phone app...it was brilliant, we knew where all the characters would be and at what time,  It gave current wait times on all rides and fast pass times if available.  You could look up menu's at restaurants and make reservations.  Pulling up this app was the first thing we did each day.  We could tell by wait times which rides were the most popular.  Jared would head out to get a fast pass to one of the cool rides while the kids and I rode other rides or got more autographs.  Huge time saver!!

* Pack lunches...we easily packed lunches each day...it saved time and money.  Jared and I both carried book bags containing everything we needed for lunch and snacks. 

*Bring Water bottles..all Disney's restaurants will fill them up for you for FREE.

*Find a restaurant that you'd like to eat at before you walk in look on either side alot of the restaurants have a walk up area with basically the same food just smaller portions and prices.

*Want great seats for the evening parade...you have to get to main street 60-75 minutes before the parade starts to find a spot.  Jared and the kids parked in our spots and I ran off to get dinner.  We ate while we waited..worked beautifully!!

* Go to the dollar store or even target before you head to Disney...stock up on some cheap light up stuff for the kids...the things they sell during the evening parade are cool but they cost a pretty penny...My kids didn't even ask after I pulled them out what I had spent $1 each on at target!!