Dec 10 - The Adventure Begins!

This morning, we managed to wake up and get to Magic Kingdom on time for our 0815 breakfast ADR at the Crystal Palace! The sight of the castle and the feeling of walking down Main Street is simply indescribable. Be still my heart, I'm hardly breathing! The Magic Kingdom was resplendant in all its Christmas finery. With Christmas music tinkling in the background, I felt so overwhelmingly happy I had to restrain myself from sprinting down to our destination.

The Magic Kingdom

The Man and The Mouse

How I felt upon the sight of that castle!

Breakfast at the crystal palace was lovely. Unfortunately, the food was very salty and very sweet but I think this is just something that we will have to deal with and adjust to. We tried very hard to stay healthy but how could you refuse the children a re-aquaintance with their favourite Mickey waffles? The characters came quickly and the interaction was wonderful. Despite having 6 children at the table, Winnie and friends took the time to give each child special attention. As a parent, it was heart-warming to see the children run up and hug the characters so enthusiastically...with the exception of Jonah. He kept saying "I'm scared" yet wanted to be able to be part of the action so he was carried for the whole experience but overall, it was a win because unlike on the med cruise, we have photos this time!

Ee-yore

Piglet

Winnie

Tigger

Mickey waffles

The characters in real life!

Oh...speaking of photos, in my excitement and getting caught up in the moment, photos were almost forgotten completely. This shall have to be rectified tomorrow!

Our morning at the Magic Kingdom was a leisurely day of just trying to stay awake. The crowds were low and we were able to take the children on most of the rides in Fantasyland with no wait at all. One of the children was so excited that he accidentally wet his pants. He shall remain nameless!

Trying to pull out that Sword In the Stone

The beautiful Liberty Belle

Our next port of call was the Haunted Mansion. We were surprised that the 5 year old girls chose to go on the ride. One took it all in her stride but the other kept her eyes closed and kept her head down the entire ride. In the meantime, the husbands and babies went to get fastpasses for Splash Mountain. We were in the process of lining up to meet Woody and Jessie when our time slot came up and so we abandoned ship. The boys, big and little, along with Luan, our Disney mother hen, went on the ride. This was followed by Big Mountain Thunder Railroad, again with hardly any wait. Utilising the child swap, the boys were over the moon to be able to go on again.

Splash Mountain anyone?!?

Tom Sawyer Island

We decided to make our lunch stop at Cosmic Rays. I still get astounded by the size of the soft drinks and meals every time we eat! Do people really eat and drink that much?!?! I think I only managed to down 20% of my coke and eat half my meal. By this stage, Elyssa and Jonah had fallen asleep in their prams and Annelise had fallen asleep at the table. The poor child was oblivous to everyone else eating around her head. So we headed home to finish off the nap which was followed by a swimming expedition to Ol' Man Island. Malcolm and I took all 6 children and that was exercise enough to help burn off some of the calories! The pool was nice and warm despite the cool temperatures. We had to end our expedition early (thank goodness!) to make our dinner reservation at Wolfgang Puck in Downtown Disney.

An afternoon dip...looks can be deceiving. It was cold!

thank goodness!) to make our dinner reservation at Wolfgang Puck in Downtown Disney.

We had become very familiar with our south depot bus stop and thus opted for this safe option rather than the boat ride. We were too afraid that we would end up snoring before reaching our destination. Downtown Disney did not disappoint with all its lights and colours. Walking through absorbing the atmosphere was an experience in itself.

Dinner wasn't too bad. Malcolm and I shared the Macadamia crusted chicken and the Salmon. It was lucky that we both could't decide between the Choc Lava Cake and the Florida Key Lime Pie. We shared those too. The choc lava cake was awesome...but I forgot to take photos!

Although we had such a wonderful day, it was tinged with some sadness. I type with a heavy heart as our dear friend Ethel will have to fly home to be with her father who is likely to pass away from cancer. Tomorrow, we will celebrate her baby's 3rd birthday together before she heads home. She will try to rejoin us in New York. We pray for her and her family during this difficult time.

Sights and sounds of Downtown Disney

Dinner at Wolfgang Puck