Visiting Disney's Magic Kingom

Ahhh, a visit to Disney World. There's really nothing that compares to that butterfly feeling when you step onto Main Street and behold the magic. Of course the first thing you notice is the castle. I have pictures of it in every color. For some reason I feel compelled to snap a picture at every angle. Main street is the best view so every so often I will stop walking and snap a pic while my husband interjects "why don't you just use the zoom?". My reply, "I am using the zoom and I used the zoom 50 ft. ago which means this picture will be different".

Before you actually reach the park, you will have to take the monorail or ferry from the parking lot to the main entrance. If you use the Disney bus system, this is eliminated, they take you right to the main gate. A little tip for getting through baggage check, don't take one. Our first day we carried a backpack with all the "essentials", most of which never made it out of the bag. You can have a loooong wait through baggage check so what we did the rest of week was fill our pockets. If you are going souveneir shopping, stop right away and get something small then you can transfer what's in your pockets into the shopping bag. If you're not going for souveneirs, fold a plastic bag and put that in your pocket too, unless you can live with carrying your wares in your pockets all day, that's even better yet. Oh yeah, small camera bags DO NOT count as bags!

Every trip seems to be different with something new learned with each journey. The first thing I'd like to pass on are some tips on character greetings. The best way to find your favorite is to take a look at the schedule printed on the back of the map when you first enter the park. There's also an icon on the map to help you find these places. On our last trip we decided to visit the Magic Kingdom on 2 days. We usually spend just one day there and then fill the rest of the week with all the other parks but, there always seem to be something that we missed. So on day 1 my daughter was determined to find Mickey Mouse, it didn't happen, other than the parades, he was nowhere to be found. Or so we thought. When you enter the park for some reason, maybe it's just us, we always seemed to ignore the area just inside the gate and head straight for Main Street. This area is Town Square, had we looked at little more closely at our map we would've known this. Town Square is where Mickey and Minnie hang out. On day 2 this was our first destination. Coming through the main gate, immediately on your right is where you need to be. There are 2 lines inside the building, one leading to Princesses and one to the Mice. Once you reach them, plenty of time is allowed to snap pictures, shake hands, etc. They also have helpers standing by who will snap pix with your camera of your whole family.

Now we head down Main Street, and turn left. Here you find, among many other things, the Tiki Room. This attraction has undergone some transformations in it's time, the most recent restored it back to it's original condition. Now, don't get me wrong when I say this, it's still an awesome sight, I just prefer the way it was a few years ago. (sorry Disney).

Of course there are too many attractions to mention each one so we will move onto my favorite, The Pirates of the Carribbean. I know, I know, everyone thinks it's my favorite because of the movie, not true, I loved it long before Johnny Depp spiced it up. I just love it even more now and on some trips I will go on it 2 or 3 times. Coming in second on my favorite's list is The Haunted Mansion. This past year was a milestone, my daughter actually opened her eyes for a few seconds. I am just amazed by this ride, and others. The details Disney puts into everything, every time you ride, you notice something new. One ride we did not get to this year was Splash Mountain, I love this ride but, being there were only 3 of us this year and there was NO talking my daughter into it, we had to skip it. She is NOT a roller coaster girl which is quite funny that we managed to talk her into Thunder Mountain. She wasn't happy, she still gets mad when we talk about it.

Let's talk food. There are multiple food courts throughout. The lowest priced places are the quick serve places. The menus here are exactly alike no matter which one you go to. If you get a burger in Frontierland, and another one later in Tomorrowland, it will be precisely the same, don't be fooled by the clever names of the restaurants, it means nothing so don't waste time backtracking to something that sounded better. This only applies to the quick serve places, since I'm not one for reservations these are where we always eat. I have no desire to be on the other side of the park and have to go back to eat at a certain place at a certain time. Whatever is closest is where I will be and since the menu doesn't change in quick serve, it's perfect for us.

There is a great little ice cream shop on Main Street. If you are walking toward the castle, it is on the right, on the last corner, where you would turn to go to Tomorrowland. Several years ago we went there, I got a dish of chocolate ice cream, my husband didn't want any. Just as we walked outside my daughter decided she needed a potty break. I took 1 bite and it was the best I've ever tasted, I handed it to my husband, he had to stay put to hold our parade spot. When I returned my ice cream was gone and there was a huge line so getting another was not an option. In his defense it was 100 degrees but, I think it would've been just as delicious in liquid form. It was 3 years between trips until I finally got my ice cream from this shop. Yummmmmy!

Speaking of parade spots, get your seat early and stick to it. Seriously, don't move an inch or you will pushed out of the way. People get crazy looking for a spot, especially the night parade. They will push little kids, bump into you to get you to move over. Be strong and stand your ground. I set my daughter on the curb and stand behind her. Once she was sitting and a woman pushed up her stroller and I suppose she wanted to sit down next to it but, there wasn't room. She kept banging my 6 year old with the stroller trying to get her to move. I stepped forward with one foot and blocked her and by the time the parade was over I had a bruise on my leg. A simple, "excuse me, can I try to squeeze in here to sit" would've worked, I would've helped her out but, I wasn't giving into her method. When you decide to sit, they come around and tape off sections where you are allowed to stop. Don't make the mistake of thinking that you will walk around shopping then just stop out front when the parade starts. Unless you're in the taped off sections, they will make you keep moving and you'll miss the parade.

They will tell you that the fireworks can be seen from anywhere in the park. This is true, they can be seen but, not really seen well. We've always watched from a very crowded Main Street so we were making our way back and decided to stop and had an awesome side view of the castle, no crowds.......for good reason. We could see the fireworks well but, they are actually set off a good distance behind the castle. You don't notice it from the front view but, from the side, it was a disappointing show.

I hope if you're planning a trip soon, these little tidbits of information help you make the most of your trip. Have fun!!!!!!!!!

A quick note, Disney has begun construction on a whole new "land". I can't remember when it is set to open but, I'm sure there will be some big announcements made when it does!