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Name: Lauren         Location: Middle Tennessee, USA

Welcome to my blog! I am a Christian, wife, and mother who enjoys reading, running, and all things Disney. Stop by regularly for a glimpse into my life!
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Tuesday, January 15, 2013
A Disney December, Part Two
Just got a call that school will be dismissed in one hour because of an approaching ice storm.  With no time to start a major project of any kind, I thought I would sit down at the computer and continue our December trip report.

Around 3:30 on the 18th, we boarded a bus for the Magic Kingdom.  The Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is from 7:00 to midnight on select nights in November and December, but you can enter the park as early as four with your party tickets.  We wanted to take advantage of every moment!


Once inside the Magic Kingdom, we had to stop for a photo on Main Street.  I love to be on Main Street during Christmas: my favorite place at my favorite time!


We headed to Adventureland first.  The Jungle Cruise is one of my favorite attractions (the jokes never get old), and we also visited Pirates of the Caribbean, the Magic Carpets of Aladdin, and the Swiss Family Treehouse (why do my kids like climbing all those stairs???).


At this point, we were ready for an early dinner.  The kids love the corndog nuggets at Casey's, but Casey's is not a great option for gluten-free eating.  So, I went to Pecos Bill's to get a gluten-free meal, while Adam took the kids to get their beloved nuggets. After I got my food, I tracked them down watching the old movies from the bleachers in Casey's.


After dinner, we headed toward Storybook Circus and New Fantasyland, but we stopped at the Tomorrowland Speedway first.  This attraction doesn't seem like much, but Andrew and Emily LOVE it.  It's always on their must-do list.


We were very pleasantly surprised by the new Storybook Circus area.  We hadn't experienced Dumbo in a few years, but both kids wanted to try the new version.  Disney has done a great job with the new play area and queue.  The rethemed Barnstormer was a hit, and we also visited Pete's Silly Sideshow for some character interaction.  It was too cool for the water play area, but I am sure it is popular on warmer days.  The entire area was very well done!



My only disappointment of the evening was that we didn't make it to New Fantasyland before dark.  I loved the new attractions, but we couldn't truly appreciate the details at night, and I couldn't get any good pictures of the new castles or the exteriors of the attractions and restaurants.  I can't wait to go back later this year and explore this area more fully.  From what we did experience, the highlight for us was Enchanted Tales with Belle.  Emily participated in the show, and even Dad got in on the fun!


It was almost time for the fireworks, but we managed to squeeze in a ride with Pooh before claiming a viewing spot at the last minute.  The Christmas fireworks were fantastic!

Before seeing the parade, we headed to Space Mountain.  I love Disney World, but I don't like Space Mountain at all.  It is too jerky for me, and the darkness makes my motion sickness worse.  Thankfully, now that Andrew and Emily are old enough, Adam and I have reached the stage where we can sit this one out and wait while they have their brains shaken (yes, we are the old parents waiting on the bench).


We grabbed our spot for the Christmas parade near the Main Street Train Station.  The parade arrived at this location around 10:50, so we planned to exit at the end of the parade (around 11:15) and head back to the hotel.  We claimed our spot around 10:30, and then Adam was nice enough to save it while the kids and I went to see Mickey and Minnie.  They were dressed for the season.


Although the Boo-To-You Halloween Parade is my favorite Disney parade, the Christmas parade is lots of fun.  Snow even falls on Main Street!


Following the parade, Adam and Andrew headed for the bus, but Emily really wanted to see the princesses.  I took her to visit them, and I am so glad I did.  Emily happened to have a feather in her hair (for those of you without tween girls, this is a cool thing to do).  Every prince made a huge deal about her feather because they all had feathers, too.  As many interactions as she had had with the princesses in her life, this was one of her favorites.  She was laughing to the point of tears.  Lots of fun!


We had a wonderful time at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party!  I can't wait to return to Disney World for an even longer visit in 2013.  After six visits in one year (2011), I missed being at the parks on a regular basis this year, and I can't wait to go back!

Coming soon: We board the Disney Dream!

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  posted at 2:42 PM  
  1 comments



1 Comments:
At January 16, 2013 9:57 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great pictures. Love that you had so much fun during the holiday season!! Love you, Grammy

 

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