Disney Day Six - Magic Kingdom Again

Nothing makes me happier than waking up to cuddles from Christian and a whispered "I love you" in my ear. It is the best way to start the day.

Since we knew we'd be at the park late tonight I took the boys to the pool before breakfast while James made lunch and got ready for the day. We were hoping to use the water slides since they are not open at night but alas they were closed this morning as well. Still we had a great time playing tag and Marco Polo. And Christian swam on his back all the way across the pool! He was so proud and happy.

Christian

Enjoying the hot tub

Jon loves to be warm

Will and Christian swimming

Wet boys in front of the lake

Baby ducks!

 After our quick swim it was time to head to the park. We tried to take the ferry over but the wait was interminable so we ended up on the monorail again. Once inside the gates we took the train over to Frontierland where Noel and the kids were waiting for us at Splash Mountain. After the river ride yesterday Will wasn't sure he wanted to go on another water ride but we finally convinced him to join us. Diana and I rode together in the back and spent the whole time laughing, talking, and making silly faces. This was James' first time on the ride and he loved it! Will did too, especially since he didn't get wet.

Mackenzie

Aunty Diana and Christian

After Splash Mountain we had a little time to kill so we went to the Country Bear Jamboree which I think could be a very effective horror attraction with just a little work. The show let out at a restaurant which was convenient since it was lunch time. After lunch it was time for another fast pass and we were off to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. This coaster is probably the most enjoyable of all the rides in the Magic Kingdom. It doesn't have huge drops but it is a long, fast ride with lots of little drops and nice smooth curves. We always love it. 

James put on the ears and is amused

They made me put on the ears too... grrr

From there we were off to the Haunted Mansion which the boys and I had never been on. The second we walked into the building Jon asked to leave. The line was too scary for him and I didn't want to make him stay. But we were offered the option of skipping the entryway and moving right to the actual ride and after a little deliberation Jon decided to do that. We met up with the rest of our party at the ride and were all able to go on together. The ride was fine and Jon wasn't scared a bit. I was really proud of him for saying that he wanted to leave and also for coming on the ride. Will and Christian weren't scared at all and Christian was so excited about seeing all the ghosts and monsters.

Christian gets some love from Aunty Diana

Mackenzie hams it up

Jon found a gecko

I loved the way we did the park today. We had our fast passes organized so that we did all the rides we wanted in one section of the park before moving on to another. It cut down our walking tremendously and allowed us to go on a lot more rides. Doing the park this way made a huge difference I think to our enjoyment and energy levels.

Getting splashed

Cooling off

After the mansion we went over to Adventureland where we ate ice cream while watching a pirate show and then went on Pirates of the Caribbean and the Jungle Cruise. The Jungle Cruise is basically a ten minute stand up routine comprised of terrible puns but it was a good time and he had us laughing a lot at the end.

Diana gives Riley bunny ears

On Pirates of the Caribbean 

Will is not amused by the Jungle Cruise puns

Next came Fantasyland where we saw the Philharmonic show and went on the Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh rides. We used fast passes for both but the Winnie the Pooh line, the regular one, is so good that the kids stopped to play in the line for a few minutes before we moved on. Both of these rides were decent kid rides and Nemo and the Little Mermaid could learn a lot from their design. James loved the Peter Pan ride and said that it reminded him of the E.T. ride at Universal.

Getting on the Winnie the Pooh ride

In Pooh's house

Eating all the honey

 I know I'm listing a lot of rides today but really, we did a lot! We still had a couple hours before our dinner reservations and James wanted to check out Space Mountain so we were off to Tomorrowland which is rather in need of an update. Only Noel had been on Space Mountain before and the rest of us didn't know what exactly to expect. Christian was beyond thrilled though to see that he had his very own seat and could ride by himself. Most of the ride was done in complete blackness so even though it wasn't super fast you couldn't prepare yourself for any turns or drops so we felt a little jerked around. It was better than I expected though and the kids really enjoyed it. Christian especially loved it and said that it was his favorite ride. Always the ham he yelled as we came into the exit, "Let me off! I'm not going to die on this ride!"

The kids in front of the castle

Unfortunately, because of all the sudden twists, Noel sprained her ankle on Space Mountain. We found some ice and went on Carousel of Progress so she could rest and ice her leg. It was almost time for dinner after that but Christian really wanted to go on the people mover so James took all the kids on that. I think it was a bit of a disappointment to end on that particular ride but we'd all had a great and fun filled day so we were happy to leave the park.

For dinner we ate at Chef Mickey's which was slightly more expensive than the other character dinners but did have some fantastic steak. Christian and I ate nine pieces between us and I had to send James up for more because I was too embarrassed to ask for a third plate full of steak... But the food was all delicious. We also got to meet Mickey, Goofy, Donald, and Minnie. Christian gave them all huge hugs. I think that five might be the perfect age for Disney.

Goofy and the kids

Donald steals some of our meal

Donald and the kids

Donald steals Riley's hat

Jon fights Donald for the hat

While the kids were hugging Mickey, James knocked over his glass with a huge crash. We all jumped and I think Mickey was rather startled. He came over and patted James on the head and signaled that I needed to keep a closer eye on him. Then the waiter came over with a new glass of coke with a cover on it. It was hilarious and we all laughed and laughed.

James and Mickey share a laugh

Mickey and the kids

Minnie and Jon

Minnie and Mackenzie

Minnie and the kids

We had a great dinner but soon it was time to say goodbye. It was wonderful to spend this time with Noel and the kids and while this was our last day in the parks they still have two more days left. We gave them all hugs and our love and headed off to our hotel. We didn't go swimming though because we have an early checkout time and a surprise for the boys tomorrow. I'm off to pack now. Goodnight!

Disney Day Five - The Animal Kingdom

This morning was awful. My morning started with a fight with Christian over whether or not he would get dressed and then what clothes he would wear. I also made Will and Jon cry by not allowing them to wear shirts with stains on them. Things got worse from there. We were late into the park and desperately trying to get to Noel and her group before our first fast pass ran out. Although we had a bright spot when Will was allowed to be the tram announcer and use the loudspeaker twice! That was pretty awesome. 

Cute Christian

Another Mustang to feed Christian's obsession

We finally made it to Noel at the Mt. Everest ride but by the time we got there Christian was completely melting down. So James stayed out with him while the rest of hurriedly got in line. The Everest coaster is fast and fun, if a little shaky. But it goes backwards for one part and that scared Will. I wish I had remembered to warn him!

Christian gets a ride

After the ride we met up with James and tried to figure out our plans which had unexpectedly changed. I was still in a terrible mood from this morning and grumpy about the change in plans but I was trying hard to fix my attitude. Christian was much better though and he took my camera and explored the area we were in trying to take pictures of flowers and birds. And then, just as we had finished figuring things out, Jon fell. I didn't realize at first that it was him but a kind man saw him fall and helped out. Jon had hurt his leg and badly bruised his ear. There was a scrape on his ear and the whole top of it was purple. Thankfully Noel was prepared and had antibacterial cream and children's Tylenol on hand. After a little time Jon was fine and was ready to move on. He soon forgot about his injury but his ear continued to look awful all day long.

Christian's picture of Aunty Diana

Christian's picture of a bird in flight

Christian's picture of flowers

Despite the fall, after this things started to improve and we actually had a really wonderful time the rest of the day. Our next stop was The Lion King Show and once again I was surprised and impressed. It was an excellent show with tumblers, acrobats, and dancers who were all wonderful to watch. I think the Little Mermaid show could learn a thing or two from the Lion King. It was really very impressive and a lot of fun.

Ape crossing

After that it was time for lunch and I was once again thankful that the kids and James are so cheerfully eating packed lunches. Especially as I ate the world's most expensive hot dog. Another thing I am very thankful for is that we are traveling lightly and James is carrying our backpack. I hate carrying even a small bag or purse so his carrying our food and water has been a huge blessing to me. Every time I have been on a ride I have appreciated him too since I haven't had to worry about stowing or storing anything.

Anyway, after lunch we went on the Kali River Rapids ride which was so much fun. We were all horribly hot so we were looking forward to getting a little splashed on the river raft ride. At first the ride was typical, fun and bouncy as we spun down the river. And then we went down the waterfall. I was facing forward so I got to see the huge wall of water that towered above our raft before it crashed down and drenched everyone except for me and Christian. Soaked does not begin to cover it and at least four of us were squelching for hours afterwards. It was fantastic!

Soaking wet!

Riley and Christian

Wet and dripping our next stop was the jungle trek to see bats and lizards. The tiger exhibit was empty though since they were out participating in the breeding program but we had a good time anyway. The first animal we saw was a Komodo dragon and Jon, Riley, Noel, and I spent a lot of time learning about it and about the tigers. Jon was very curious and had some questions for the lady who was there. At first he wanted to know if their bite was poisonous which is how we learned that it was fatal because of the bacteria in their mouths. Then when Jon heard that they were immune to any bacteria themselves he asked if they were also immune to the zombie virus. The woman was very confused.

Working on a rubbing

Working to get his badge

As we walked through Christian was fascinated by the many skeletons displayed and kept asking the Disney members if he could have them. He insisted that the tiger skull would look better if it was missing a tooth and tried in vain to get them to give him one. Will also did his part to portray our family as weird when he told another worker there that he was a werewolf. "Is that good?" she asked.

Christian's picture of a lizard

My silly boys

After that it was off to Dinoland where we first went on the Dinosaur ride. When we were here three years ago Christian was too little to go on the ride so he was very excited. It was an excellent ride and all the kids loved it. They also enjoyed the Primeval Whirl coaster although Christian was still too short to ride that one. Then we all had ice cream before going over to the African Safari.

Nana and the kids on Primeval Whirl

A short fast drop

Diana and the boys

Going down!

The Safari ride was amazing! Not only did we see a ton of animals but they were really close and fairly active. We had to stop for over five minutes to wait for a giraffe that had stopped in the middle of the road just a few feet away from our truck. We could have reached out and touched it. We also got really close to some rinos and an ostrich, although my previous experience with a grumpy ostrich has made me rather nervous around them. 

Nana, Jon, and Diana on the Safari

Baby Elephant!

A giraffe walking next to our truck

Giraffes by the road

At one point in our safari tour we crossed a bridge that was designed to shake a bit while the driver pretended that it was going to break. Christian believed it and it actually made him nervous. For the rest of the drive he kept bringing it up saying things like "You shouldn't have gone over that bridge!" Finally I explained to him that it was just a ride and then he was fine.

Alligators in the sun

White Rino

On the lookout for animals

For dinner we ate at the Rainforest Cafe. Noel and the kids didn't join us for this because they wanted to do something else but we had already promised the kids we'd eat there and Will was really excited. As we were walking past the restaurant this morning he exclaimed "Look! That's my natural habitat for food!" Because he is a werewolf, obviously. The food though was good and we had a pleasant meal.

We had heard about the lightshow but after a quick and unanimous vote we decided to head home for a swim instead. I stayed behind while James took the boys down to the big pool. They found some other kids to play with and James caused trouble by teaching the kids how to build a giant tower out of tubes. At one point James was playing with Christian who, in his usual fashion, was jumping on James and attacking him with tubes and water. A young girl approached and asked "Is he five?" When James said yes she paused and then said "she's five", indicating her sister who had been floating quietly in her tube for the past half hour. 

The boys all came home tired and happy and bedtime went very well. Now it is time for me to follow their example. Have a good night!