Day six was going to be our 'unscheduled' day, so that we could go and revisit whatever we'd missed, or liked enough to return to. The Magic Kingdom was first on the list! Marc and the boys wanted to go ride Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain, and Molly and I wanted to shop, take pictures and meet more characters!
I have to say, it was rather fortuitous that the kids interests and our own personal interests dovetailed so nicely. For example, the boys looked at me like I was off my rocker when I asked them to climb the stairs to the train station for a picture overlooking the park. Molly on the other hand, wanted to pose for twelve of them!
It amazed me that this is what is considered "not crowded" at Disney World.
Look at all those people!
We didn't have to walk far before we found our first character to meet.
Marie from the Aristocats was giving autographs and taking pictures right in the island at the top of Main Street.
And the Disney photographers had a setup right behind her where you could get your picture taken with Cinderella's Castle right behind you.
Molly wanted to walk around behind the castle to see if we could find a way inside. On the way there we stumbled upon something SUPER exciting! Merida, Disney's newest princess was having a meet and greet! They had it set up so nicely, in her own special area, with coloring sheets for the kids, and even an archery lesson while we waited.
I couldn't get this picture from the angle I was at in line, but the Disney Photographer did.
Molly NAILED the target - hers was the only arrow that stuck in the whole group of archer wannabes.
Merida was so lovely and sweet.
In fact, all the princesses are experts at making their loyal subjects feel welcome.
Later we were able to get inside a small portion of Cinderella's castle.
It had the most elaborate and gorgeous mosaics on the wall.
The mosaics told Cinderella's story. Molly loved them!
The castle was so pretty from this side, and much less crowded!
Then the shopping began! We ended up not buying a single thing, but boy did we have fun looking!
Molly wanted me to take a picture of all the hats and ears she tried on all over the park.
She's a girl after my own heart, that's for sure!!
We checked out the sword in the stone
before riding the carousel one last time.
And then we got an important phone call!
The boys were in Frontierland, and they'd found out that Jasmine and Aladdin were going to start meeting people any minute. Jasmine is Molly's FAVORITE princess at the moment, and we thought we had to go to Epcot to meet her (which we didn't really have time for).
So this news was tremendous!
We rushed right over and the boys were holding our place in line.
(sweethearts they are!)
Molly and Aladdin struck it off immediately.
And Ben and Jasmine were total buds.
What a dream come true!!
The boys showed us some of their favorite spots in Fontierland.
The gun shop was tops in their minds.
On the way out of the park, we caught yet another irresistable view of the castle.
And yet another crane!
In true Magic Kingdom fashion,
there was a parade to see us out.
Goodbye, Magic Kingdom!!
We'll miss you!
It was nearly time for our lunch reservations over at Hollywood Studios,
and it turns out the only way to get there from the Magic Kingdom was to take a ferry or monorail, and then switch to a bus or taxi. Since we didn't have two weeks to get there, we opted for the ferry and a cab.
*** Note to self, never try and park hop when Hollywood Studios or Downtown Disney is involved! ***
We eventually arrived at our destination - the Sci Fi Diner!
And all our favorite people were there to meet us!
The diner was cool, because instead of a table and chairs, you get a car!
And you get to watch old Godzilla-type movie promos and cartoons.
The ambiance was cool, but the food was pretty gross.
So was having to explain the 1950s B-level horror genre to a freaked out 7 and 4 year old.
But it was an interesting meal, and the big kids and the grownups enjoyed it,
some of the grownups even remembered the movies that were being promo-ed!
Jack and Ben had already picked out their favorite place to return to from the prior trip Marc had taken with them. It was the store! They wanted to make their own lightsabers from the make-your-own-lightsaber bar. It was a pretty cool proposition!
I have no idea what happened to steps 5, 6 &7...
By the end of this, Ben and I were melting down....literally. It was the hottest day of the trip and we were WIPED.
It was too bad for us though, because we had a big event to see - the stunt show!
First, we got to wait in line with 1000 other hot and sweaty people for 30 minutes.
Then we got to drag ourselves up 40 flights of bleachers.
Then, we got to watch the show.
Marc and Jack loved it! And it was pretty cool with all the explosions and stuntwork and even an appearance by Lightning McQueen. But for the rest of us, I'd say we could have missed it and not minded.
Jack and Marc decided to stay on at Hollywood Studios and the rest of us took our sweaty, exhausted, famished selves home. Nannie and Gray drove us back to our hotel (which was awesome because otherwise I would have just laid down on the pavement and prayed for a fairy godmother to come with a pumpkin coach). As payment, Gray got to enjoy a frosty beverage at the appetizer bar of our hotel, and Nannie got a makeover at Salon BenMolly.
Pink toes...
Blue fingernails...
and even a shoulder massage! It was the perfect ending to a long day!
