OH the anticipation!
My parents and I had been discussing the possibility of going to Disney for Bella's 4th birthday a year in advance. Soon after, my dad found out he had cancer and the scheduled trip in the spring of 2014 had to go on hold as dad fought the good fight to rid his body of the cancer. We are so lucky that his aggressive treatment was a success and made it possible for him to be able to enjoy Disney with his granddaughter.
We probably made the mistake of telling Bella about the trip 3 months in advance - but I couldn't keep it a secret... I was too excited! I thought a daily count down was going to be the easiest way to explain to her that the trip wasn't going to be "tomorrow". I designed a set of monthly calendars - 3 months worth - for her to color the mickey head in daily and countdown. She enjoyed filling them in each night and as we got down to the last set of mickeys to color in, the anticipation really set in.
We decided not to stay on Disney World property because we found a great condo community not far from the parks. Before the big day (Magic Kingdom) we spent some relaxing time poolside - Bella had a ton of fun playing in a kiddie pool while we soaked in the sun.
The Big Day
We woke up extra early for this day because I promised Bella that she could get all dolled up in her Belle costume dress to meet the princesses at Magic Kingdom - especially for Cinderella's Castle Breakfast. That was one of the first things on our schedule that morning. I wish I could have captured Bella's first "in awe" moment as we walked through the gates of main street and her first site of the castle, but we were in such a rush to get to fantasy land and meet a few princesses before our breakfast reservation that it was missed. She met Ariel and Merida first - as they were her first encounter meeting the characters she was a bit timid, but it didn't keep her from smiling.
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| all dressed up and ready to go! |
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| mapping out the morning |
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| Getting tickled by Merida |
Cinderella's Royal Table
One of the highlights of the day was getting to dine inside the castle at Magic Kingdom. I have been to Disney World many times as a child, but this was my first opportunity getting to see the inside of the castle. It was a really neat experience - although on the expensive side - you should definitely try it once. When we first checked in we were set to have our party photographed with Cinderella herself before going into the dining hall, of course, being Disney, even the waiting area was themed like the inside of a castle with drapery and grandfather clocks and even knight armor statues! So much to look at! When our name was called we went up a long, red carpet, spiral staircase to the dining hall. Stained glass, hanging flags and other medieval type decor adorned the room. Right away Bella spotted a few princesses walking around visiting the tables - the excitement in her eyes was...priceless! Once we were seated and our orders were taken we patiently awaited our visit by the different princesses. Breakfast was very good - we all enjoyed our meals with coffee and juice. Each princess that came by really took the time to visit with Bella, take a photo and talk to her - I was amazed how well each actress really knew her "character" and acted just like the animated version!
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| Snow White |
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| Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) |
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| Ariel (Human Form) |
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| Jasmine (my favorite princess) |
Fantasyland
You really can't do all of Magic Kingdom in one day - mid day we realized that all the attractions we planned to see just wasn't going to be possible - we spent most of our time in Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. The last princess we just absolutely HAD to meet was one of Bella's favorites, Rapunzel. Bella really enjoyed meeting her.
After enjoying parades, food, characters, and rides we decided that our last attraction before the Electric parade and the fireworks was going to be the The Enchanted Tikki-Room over in Frontier Land. Prior to entering the line to get into the attraction Bella got scared - the cast member who was working the attraction took Bella aside and told her if she was really brave she would have something special for her at the end of the show. Bella agreed and actually enjoyed the music and the singing birds. Afterwards the same cast member was so sweet and talked with Bella about the show and then knelt down beside her and gave her a special voucher for any treat she wanted. Of course she chose a Mickey Mouse shaped ice cream and when we went to cash in the voucher - the cart attendant told us the voucher would cover our whole party! We were so excited that we could all enjoy an ice cream on the house; what a special surprise!
Later in the evening we were all getting pretty tired so we searched for a spot to sit down and enjoy the upcoming parade. It was a chilly night too and we were not prepared for it so we covered Bella up in her stroller as best as we could and all huddled together. The parade had not changed, but was still a neat site to see. The best part was the show that displayed on the castle - a really cool combination of scenes from the movies and music. Afterward there was a spectacular firework show over the castle. It was an awesome day that I'll never forget :)
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| The special ice cream voucher that Bella received |
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| In front of my favorite statue in Magic Kingdom - Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse |
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This little munchkin was so pooped by the end of the evening. but it was worth it
Best. Day. EVER! |
See more pictures from Magic Kindom here. Part 2 coming soon!
