Day 2 got off to a slower start than we had planned.
Ryleigh hadn't slept great and, as a result,
woke Vic and I up several times throughout the night.
We were supposed to go to Chef Mickey's for breakfast bright and early.
I knew we would see those characters again the following day,
and we heard they also came to the breakfast buffet right at our hotel.
So, instead, we slept in and got ready for the day leisurely.
We took the bus right over to the Magic Kingdom and did just as the sign says:
(mom too!)
All of Main Street was decorated for Christmas.
It set the tone for a fantastic first day in MK.
First up was one of the more popular rides, Splash Mountain.
Luckily, we had another fast pass.
Lexi and I sat in a log flume and passed through different vignettes
which told the tale of Brer Rabbit while "Zippety Doo Dah" played in the background.
It culminated in our log barreling down this giant decline.
It was a blast.
A poncho kept us totally dry,
and despite it being a tiny bit scary, Lexi loved it.
She did keep her eyes closed the entire way down, however.
At the exit to this ride, we got to see Woody and Jessie from Toy Story.
Next up, it was Vic's turn to join Lexi on another popular ride, Big Thunder Railroad.
The first roller coaster of the trip for our big girl.
They both came back reporting that it was awesome.
Lexi would have ridden it again and again, but there was so much more still to tackle.
From there, we walked over to Fantasyland, where we spent much of the day.
I remember riding this with Nanny and Grandpa in third grade.
I loved it then, and the girls and I loved it just as much this trip.
Lexi was so enthralled seeing the children and cultures from around the world.
She had a great time trying to guess which country would be around each corner.
Ryleigh literally sat in our boat clapping along to the music, huge smile on her face.
She loved pointing out every animal we passed.
A good time was had by all, and that song stays with you for hours.
*One side note…as we waited in line, Vic decided to set our backpack down for a minute.
He took it off, put it on the landing, and all you heard was a giant "splash",
followed by gasps from everyone around us.
Somehow, he missed the fact that the landing wasn't actually protected by a glass barrier,
but instead led right into the water below.
A ride attendant was called over and fished it out with a giant pole.
We were "that family".
Our bag, our papers, our maps, Vic's passport, Ryleigh's birth certificate,
our phone chargers, lollipops, jackets, etc. were all soaked to the core.
It was a definite "low point" of the trip.
But what could you do?
Vic literally rung the bag out like a wet dish towel, and onto the ride we hopped.
Luckily, it was a warm sunny day.
Everything dried out fairly quickly,
and after an hour or so, it made for a good laugh.
He was a total rockstar the entire trip, so I couldn't really give him a hard time ;)
We had a fast pass for Peter Pan's flight and all loved it.
You fly through it on what is modeled after the boat from the movie,
viewing London below you as you head off to Neverland in the middle of the night.
The major scenes are acted out in vignettes. One of the best rides all week.
The girls both loved the carousel, also.
I had been told by several friends that Mickey's Philharmagic Show was a must-do,
and they were all true to their word.
You enter the theater and put on 3D glasses.
Before you, Donald Duck jumps out from the screen and assumes his role as conductor.
Some of the best Disney songs of all time are played/acted out with Donald's antics
adding to the performance.
The glasses make it seem as if Peter Pan is truly flying right in front of you,
as if the dancing plates from "Be Our Guest" might just fall into your lap,
as if Aladdin and Jasmine are going to bump into you aboard their magic carpet.
It was a real crowd-pleaser!
We continued on, and had to snag the obligatory shot in front of Cinderella's castle.
Despite her adorable shirt and Minnie ears, Ryleigh wasn't quite feeling it.
than a super cute bathroom (the purple and gold village below).
As popular a princess as she is,
I'm surprised they haven't done more to tell her story in Magic Kingdom.
We pressed on to a definite highlight of the day, Enchanted Tales With Belle.
In case anyone is wondering, it's also the only place in the Magic Kingdom that
serves alcohol.
There is a real life tavern, called Gaston's.
They serve turkey legs and pork and all the fixings
you'd expect a big, brutish guy like Gaston to eat.
They also had giant, warm cinnamon rolls that we devoured.
For the attraction, you walked into the castle library, using a fast pass of course.
You are then informed that a group from the audience will help "act out" the story
of how Belle came to fall in love with the Beast.
Our little birthday girl was selected to play the part of Felipe, the horse.
She thought this was all things awesome.
And she pranced to her heart's content.
The whole skit was super cute and very interactive for all the viewers.
Belle made her grand entrance and greeted all of her cast mates.
Below, Lexi/Felipe makes her feature performance.
Belle's castle behind her/sun right in her eyes
Almost-two is a tough age when it comes to staying in the stroller.
She hopped out any chance she got.
We had front-row seats and saw just about every princess/character you can think of.
It was pretty fantastic and a great way to finish up our first day in Magic Kingdom.
The Beach Club has this strip of beach that proved perfect for sandcastle making
and firework viewing.
Across the little lagoon you can see the BoardWalk area with its hotels.
To the right is the Beach Club's amazing pool.
More pictures to come from later in the trip.
It models a 1950/60s burger/ice cream sundae shop.
Music from that era is playing, and you sit in either a booth or up at the ice cream bar.
The girls and I enjoyed old fashioned grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup,
and Vic had a great burger.
For dessert, you guessed it, a root beer float and ice cream sundaes
complete with Oreo cookies for the Mickey ears and a cherry for his nose.
This place didn't miss a detail - the girls were in heaven.
A fire pit had been set up with everything you need to roast marshmallows/make s'mores.
You better believe Lexi raced over to join in the action.
And with that, we called it a (great) day!
