What a Fantasmic Day!

Sweet Daisy Duck


I've Got No Strings!


Flying Dumbo


Under the Sea


Time For Tea


Monogram It!


Princess Minnie Ears


Mayor Weaver


The Future Danica Patrick


Jedi Training


Relaxing with Gloria and the Cheshire Cat


Gotta have my Nintendo Time


It was another early day for us because Magic Kingdom was having their "Extra Magic" hours that morning. If you stay in any hotel on the Disney property, there are designated hours at the parks where you can come early or stay late. So we were there by 8:00 again! This was Reed's t-shirt day for us, as you can tell in the pictures. We always love wearing our shirts AND seeing our picture in the newspaper. How in the world are we going to have the same connections without you, Tommy Green? We spent 2 full days in the park with no stroller, so this time, Mama Bear insisted that Papa Bear get one for his cubs. Cole wanted no part in riding a kiddie stroller, but MC was happy to oblige. We rented a single stroller, which helped us to pick up the pace!

I'm all about the characters. So is Mary Conlee, but it was sad to see some of the magic gone from Cole's eyes. He would agree to a picture from time to time, but he knew that Pinocchio was some lucky girl or guy dressed up and not the real deal. Luckily, he still believed in the magic the last time we went! We stopped to meet and greet Daisy Duck and Pinocchio, then headed on to Dumbo. We love that ride, even if it is one of the more tame attractions at WDW. It is similar to Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride. The kids get to move the car up and down with a switch, which was really cool! We rode the Mad Hatter's Tea Cups and raced in the Indy racetrack. The girls won the race this year. And that has NOTHING to do with the fact we started 3 minutes earlier than the boys! We did our usual loop through the park and caught all the rides--several times. We made a trip "under the sea" to Ariel's Grotto for pictures and an autograph.

Something that was much worse this trip was all the "stuff" the kids wanted. Cole was the king of wanting "just one more thing, I promise!" The imagineers (people who design the parks) know right how to get you! The big rides dump right out into a gift shop that fits the theme of the attraction. Pirates, Winnie the Poo, Splash Mountain, and more. We had to limit our treasures each day. There was no room to bring it all home! We came wearing our Mickey and Minnie Mouse ears from last time, but of course, they needed NEW ones. Cole found a Pirates of the Caribbean hat that has a sash around the head, a braid of beads, and an earring coming out of one of Mickey's ears. Mary Conlee opted for a princess one. It had a tiara and diamond sparklies on the front and donned a pink veil in the back. She wanted her name sewn on there, but Cole decided he was too big for that this time.


For lunch, we ate in the Plaza Restaurant on Main Street. While we were having a nice lunch, a large boisterous man came in donning a hat and sash that proclaimed him as the Mayor of Main Street, USA. He obviously makes his visit each day to the shops and restaurants on Main Street. He was there to give a certificate to the 100th guest of the day and to find any birthday boys or girls. The kids were thinking he was as powerful as the big guy in the White House. Sadly, no!


The girls left the park after lunch. MC had grown tired from the busy schedule (and all that walking), so we decided to go back to the hotel for a short rest. Cole and Judd spent their time riding the wild rides- like Thunder Mountain and Splash Moutain over and over again. That night, we were going to Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM Studios) for dinner and to see Fantasmic. We ate at Hollywood and Vine restaurant as soon as we got there. Don't let the name fool you. It was a buffet and Judd's least favorite place we went. However, we got preferential seating for the Fantasmic show, so that's all that mattered. We rode the Star Wars ride and because it emptied out into a gift shop, Cole begged for a new light saber. We have no less than 6 of them in our play room, but this one was different because you constructed it yourself. Cole chose the parts and came out with a double light saber. Now we have 7 of them!

The Fantasmic show was great. It is a show where "Mickey faces off against Disney villains in a lavish spectacular of dancing water, dramatic music, breathtaking animation, lasers, fireworks and surprises." Better said by Disney than I could have described. This was clearly the best show we saw while we were there. When the show was over, there were so many people headed for the buses to go home, just like we were. I thought we would be there for 2 hours. Luckily, we caught the second bus and went back to the hotel. The kids wanted to wind down in their beds with their Nintendos. As if they haven't had enough entertainment all week!

That night before bed, the kids discovered that their styrofoam Disney cups had been thrown away by the maid. They were upset, to say the least. MC said, "We better hide the others so the mayor won't get them." She had confused her mayor with the maid!