Despite a false start in the morning we did make it to the park shortly after they opened. Also, despite it being a Wednesday it was pretty crowded. As we rode the ferry over and got our first glimpse of the castle the excitement really began. We split up briefly so Mike could (as I was advised) run over to Peter Pan for a fast pass while the kids and I ambled over to the teacups. An iconic ride that we could all do together to start us off. Also thanks to the "My Disney Experience" app I knew Alice would be there. I thought a picture of Roo with one of her favorites in front of the tea cups would be a special way to start the day. After some initial excitement she informed me it was not worth waiting in the rapidly growing line. The tea cups on the other hand had no wait!
We bounced around Fantasyland hitting all the big stuff Dumbo, Small World, Peter Pan, the carousel, PhilharMagic and Little Mermaid. We even bumped into Pluto while we were walking around and since there was no line to hug him, he waved us over. Between good research and luck we did well most of the morning. The line was so short for Small World they offered to let us ride a second time! We declined because it was during our fast pass window for Peter Pan. Miss Roo loved that we were flying in a Pirate ship. Also, the black lights in there made all the lanterns on her Rapunzel shirt glow! Timing was on our side for our first princess encounter too. I think we waited less than ten minutes to see Miss Ariel.
She has a beautiful sparkly tail and is seated on a pink clam shell! While we were waiting I got all choked up and had to get in the picture too. Ariel noticed the lights on Riley's Doc McStuffins shoes (Disney head to toe!) and asked if she had glow fish in there. She called Riley a princess and wished her a wonderful day of adventures in the world above. It was awesome.
We took a snack break after that and then jumped in the Haunted Mansion line. I was super excited for the kids to experience this one. I sat with Isaac and Mike sat with Riley. We assured her several times it was pretend and just for fun, like Halloween stuff. The hitchhiker ghost in the mirror was not her favorite, but overall we all enjoyed it. They even gave her a special card when we left that had a picture of Mickey and Pluto and boasted she had been brave enough to ride. She talked the most about the blinking gravestone we saw waiting in line and the stretching pictures from right before you get on. Then we took the monorail for a spin to get back to the car for a picnic lunch. It was peaceful and the impending rain cooled things off quite a bit.
After lunch we found a spot for the parade. That's when the dark clouds really started rolling in and they announced they couldn't do the regular parade. Instead they did their "Rainy Day Cavalcade" it was completely adorable! After that we rode Pirates of the Caribbean which to my delight now features Capt Jack. That was it for us as the weather was terrible and the lines were becoming ridiculous.
We went to check in at the hotel. They had a heated pool and much to my delight a hot tub. Mike took the kids in the pool while I soaked away the rainy weather and all the sitting in the car. Then we went back to the room I gave Riley the Disney princess dolls I brought from home to play with (Rapunzel and Belle). A little bit later I gave her the new dresses and accessories I bought for her dolls at the after Christmas sale. I was a hero! I popped a family sized lasagna in the microwave for dinner and the kids vegged out watching Disney cartoons. I think it was a great day.
I didn't ride my very favorite ride, Big Thunder Mountain, because the line was over an hour and Riley was a few inches shy of the height requirement, but all in all it was a good day. I was surprised how well behaved the kids were even with all the excitement and schedule disruption. I stayed up long enough to check out the pictures, but I think we were all out by 9pm.
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