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The only thing my daughter wanted for her 7th birthday was to go to the Magic Kingdom. I booked a 2 night stay in newly renovated Royal Plaza, a Downtown Disney Resort Area Hotel in Lake Buena Vista. The hotel is within walking distance to Downtown Disney and it right off interstate 4 which is very convenient.
The hotel was $130.00 per night and the hotel was worth every penny. The Royal Plaza is a beautiful hotel with spacious rooms and a nice restaraunt. There was a Disney owned gift shop on the 1st floor where we were able to get information and purchase tickets.
The Royal Plaza Hotel has bus services to all the Disney theme parks and they pick up and drop off in front of the hotel. The 1st bus picks up at 8:30am which was nice because we arrived at the Magic Kingdom at 9am when it opened.
We had two 7-year olds with us so we wanted to make sure we got there at 9am so we could beat the crowds and hit all of the kiddie rides in fantasyland and Splash Mountain. My daughter is only 7 but she is shockingly addicted to splash mountain. Once we arrived at the Magic Kingdom I was suprised at the large number of people who were already waiting to get on the monorails. We rode the monorail to the main gate and quickly obtained 2 double wide strollers for the kids.
We made a dash for Splash Mountain where there was no wait. It had been some time since I had been on that ride and I was amazed at how long the ride was. It is not like most flume rides that immediately take you up to a high point and drop you down the flume. Splash Mountain takes you on slow and relxing ride through the mountain with many well done scenes to marvel at. Splash Mountain is based on the brear rabbit story and the kids really love it. I am not a big thrill ride enthusiast but the flume drop at the end of the ride was pretty wild.
Here is a list of the other rides and attractions in Frontierland
Splash Mountain®
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Tom Sawyer Island
Country Bear Jamboree
Frontierland® Shootin' Arcade
Pecos Bill Café
We then headed to the place that should be familiar to kids all over the world, Fantasyland. I am 38 years old and I have many memories of time spent in Fantasyland as a small child with my brothers during summer vacations. It's nice being a parent and being able to watch your children enjoying something that you also enjoyed as a child. We hit the Peter Pan ride first which is our favorite ride in Fantasyland. The ride really does give you the feeling that you are flying through the night.
It was off to It's A Small World next where there was no wait. This ride is probably the most famous and well known ride in the Magic Kingdom. Kids enjoy this ride because it depicts children doing many fun activities with music and singing. The fact that it is also a slow moving boat ride is a plus for the kids. I have been back home from Disney for a week and I still have small world theme song in my head.
Next we rode Cinderella's Golden Carousel which is where we found the Mary Poppins character signing autographs and posing for pictures. The kids were excited to get their first autograph of the day at this time. We then rode the carousel which is fun for adults as well as kids.
Our next stop was at a ride that I have only ridden once in my life and that was a long time ago when I was a child. The Mad Tea Party ride is where you sit in a tea cup and you and your friend's or family can spin the cup as fast as you want by turning a wheel in the center of the tea cup. I get motion sickness and when I rode this ride as a child I became ill and have never gotten the courage to try it again.
Surprisingly this was our final stop in Fantasyland because the kids wanted to head to Mickey's Toontown Fair to get autographs from the princesses and see Mickey's house. A good portion of one's day could very easily be spent in Fantasyland. There is so much to do and see there and the only bad thing is that area tends to get really crowded and congested. Here is a list of some of the other rides and attractions in Fantasyland.
Cinderella Castle
"it's a small world"
Peter Pan's Flight
Mickey's PhilharMagic
Storytime with Belle
Snow White's Scary Adventures
Cinderella's Golden Carousel
Dumbo The Flying Elephant
Ariel's Grotto
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Pooh's Playful Spot
Mad Tea Party
Cinderella's Royal Table - Dream Dining
Cinderella's Royal Table - Dreams Come True
The Pinocchio Village Haus
We then walked the short distance to Mickey's Toontown Fair which is home to these attractions.
Minnie's Country House
Toontown Hall Of Fame
Judge's Tent
Mickey's Country House
Donald's Boat
The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm
This area is ideal for the younger kids and all the rides are geared towards them. This a decent sized area with plenty of things to do and see. The most popular attractions here are Mickey's Country House and the Princess autograph and photo opportunity. The lines for the princess autographs is inside the huge gift shop next to Mickey's Country House and be prepared for a long wait if you did not get there early in the day. Mickey Mouse's autograph can also be had here but the big draw is the princesses!
The Walt Disney World Railroad has a stop in this area which is nice because you can take a break and relax on the train after standing in line for princess autographs. Mickey's Toontown Fair is a special place that will leave you and your children with wonderful memories.
Right around the corner is the ever so popular Tomorrowland with all of it's high tech rides and
futuristic architecture. This are seemed larger than life to me as a child and it left me awe struck. My favorite ride as a child was the Indy Speedway where you can race in a pint sized Indy car around a good sized track. I have a daughter and she has never really had an interest in this ride so we skipped it on this trip.
We headed straight to the Tomorrowland Transit Authority which is a slow moving ride that taked you around Tomorrowland and inside Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear. Next, we ate an early lunch at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Café. This cafe is huge with quick meals such as burgers and chicken plates. An alien musician plays the organ and speaks at the stage near the front door. This is a nice place to take a break and grab a bite to eat before you throw yourselves back into the crowds.
We rode Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin which I have to say was a blast! This was my first time on the ride and my daughter and I had fun trying to shoot the targets with our laser blasters. This is a fantastic ride for the kids with all of it's lights, sounds, and laser blasters. We exited this ride and found Stitch signing autographs so we waited in line and took some pictures with Stitch.
Here is a list of the other rides and attractions in Tomorrowland.
Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
Tomorrowland Indy Speedway
Space Mountain
Astro Orbiter
Tomorrowland Transit Authority
Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress
Galaxy Palace Theater
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
Stitch's Great Escape!
Cosmic Ray's Starlight Café
Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station
Space Mountain is the big draw in Tomorrowland. It is a roller coaster that resembles a space ship and the entire ride is in the dark which makes it quite thrilling. I remember as a teenager waiting in line for several hours to ride Space Mountain. Tomorrowland is a great area for teenagers and young adults and you could spend hours there.
Author writes for the Florida travel and vacation blog [http://www.BestofFloridaOnline.com] Best of Florida reviews attractions and events all over Florida so that prospective Florida visitors will have a better idea of where to go and what to see while visiting Florida. Any Florida business, attraction, theme park, concert, or event can get a free review by emailing sunnygator@bestoffloridaonline.com
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