Today we hit Magic Kingdom for the 2nd time. Our plan was simple - get there early and get on all of the rides we enjoyed from the first day...and make sure we rode the few that we missed. To do this, we took thorough advantage of the two best Disney features - Extra Magic Hours and FastPass.
Extra Magic Hours are additional park hours open to people staying in Disney hotels. On this day, Magic Kingdom was open an hour early for this reason, so we were there waiting for the 8:00am start. FastPass is a great ticketing system where you can book a slot at a pre-appointed time for a ride and then come back later for little or no wait. Our tactic was going to involve me going straight to Splash Mountain to get a FastPass for the family...while Mindy would follow with the kids to Thunder Mountain (right next door). We would then ride this without the use of a FastPass before the lines formed. All was going well until I hit the rope barricade indicating that Frontierland (the section of the park with these attractions) would not open until 9:00. Denied! So our options were limited to Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. Plan B was hatched - we grabbed some rides on the stuff the kids liked there - Mad Tea Party; Dumbo; Winnie the Pooh and the Indy Speedway.
We were then right there for the rope drop for Frontierland at 9:00 and managed to enact our earlier plan - FastPass for Spash Mountain then 3 trips on Thunder Mountain - once with the whole family and then Mindy and I switching off with Naomi. This coaster is a lot of fun and about as intense as the girls could handle I think. I really enjoyed Splash Mountain. The log ride part was good and unlike a lot of similar rides, you had something to look at while passing through. The entertainment was the Song of the South characters and music which kept you occupied until the final drop, always the highlight of these rides. By 10:00, we had ridden pretty much everything we wanted to do for the day, so the early start was a huge bonus.
After this, another trip across the park to Toontown for some more character meetings. We waited in line for a while to see another couple of fairies, the kids were quite excited at this. While Mindy was waiting in line, I raced out and grabbed 4 FastPass tickets to Space Mountain, thinking that we could each go on it with Naomi as she met the height requirements. After the fairies, Snow White was signing as well so we lined up for this. This is where Mindy and I had to yell at some people to keep them in line. There was a family with a kid who had some special pass allowing them immediate access to the fairies we had just waited an hour to see. All of this was OK...however, when they also wanted to cut in line to see Snow White (despite being told by the staff that they could not do this), we had to say something. When Fiona was getting her picture taken, they sent their child up to see Snow White, before going in. Seriously - Fiona was right there posing and their kid was tugging on Snow White's dress. This made Mindy and I quite mad at them (not at the child...we knew it was not her fault...but the parents should know better). I shouted something a tthe dad like "How about you get in the line and wait your turn". Mindy said something similar. This on the back of telling a "line cutter" at Epcot to go away and we are showing the results of living in New Jersey for a few years I think!
After lunch we were going to go to Space Mountain. When Naomi found out it was indoors and dark, she was scared...but then when she found out you rode alone, she bailed on the process. So Mindy and I rode solo, trading off with the kids. I was SO glad Naomi did not ride it - she would have been terrified on that thing...but WHAT a cool coaster. The darkness adds to the effect and there are quite a few nice drops and turns. We both rode it twice - why waste the 4 FastPass tickets? Certainly my highlight from the park and a real must-do attraction.
The rest of the afternoon was spent in Fantasyland and Toontown. I called my family for Christmas and had a nice chat. Mindy was watching the kids and I think was ready for a break after the call. Soon after this, Mindy's dad and Terry arrived which, combined with the cooler temps, gave the kids a 2nd wind. We went on a few more rides and finished up with the fireworks at 9:00. It was a great show and worth the wait...but then the crowds getting out were ridiculous. Even more ridiculous was the fist fight that broke out not too far from where we were - two grown adults - WOMEN, nonetheless, grappling with each other, headlocks, flailing arms and lots of shouting. I wish I saw what caused it! Of cours, this only added to the difficulty in moving. It took forever to get back - fortunately the kids fell asleep in the stroller (thanks again Holly and Gary!).
Not much more we could do at Magic Kingdom. We certainly got our money's worth there. Tomorrow is Animal Kingdom - Magic Hours start at 7:00am - we will see how well we do then!
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