We were able to get in, get photos at the castle with very few people around, meet some new friends (characters!) and ride a number of rides, all by 9:40 a.m.!
We walked in and just to the right, there was an opportunity to meet Tinkerbelle with a wait of maybe five minutes. I think our wait may have been less! So Tink was Libby's first character meeting, and she was just adorable! Libby did note that Tinkerbelle was much larger in size than in the movie, but we decided that in her home, and through the magic of Disney, then that was possible!
Tink was so funny, asking Libby where her dandelion fluff was on her shoes (like Tinkerbelle wears). She mentioned to Libby that perhaps next time she ought to attach it with slug slime, because that's what Tink uses! She spoke so quickly and was so friendly and funny.
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| Asking about the lack of dandelion fluff. |
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| And inquiring about/recommending slug slime. |
Tinkerbelle turned out to be one of Libby's top favorite characters she met on her trip!
And as we walked out of Tinkerbelle's tree stump home, Snow White stopped to meet Libby and sign her autograph book (courtesy Aunt Mandy & Uncle Nick)!
Barely there 10 minutes and two characters already! And then, as we sauntered down beautiful Main Street U.S.A., we ran in to Mary Poppins, who was apparently stateside that week. I was a little excited to meet Mary, too.
Mary inquired about whether Libby's favorite color was purple (coat and autograph pen were purple) and Mary mentioned that she liked red and how Bert had helped her to coordinate her "practically perfect" ensemble with his drawings.
Then we continued on to the castle for some important photos before the crowds really arrived.
It was pretty bright! (Great weather all week.)
And finally, it was time for a ride! Libby spotted the HIGH up "Astro Orbiter" flying above Tomorrowland, so that's what we had to do! Again, no wait at all. Mimi was the chosen one to ride the first ride with her.
She loved it!
But there were more rides to tackle! Many more rides to tackle!
"Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin" was a ride/video game. While Michael helped Libby shoot laser beams to defeat evil Emperor Zurg, I defeated by them and Mimi and Diddy with a whopping score of 14,800 points! (I think Michael & Libby managed something like 3,000 points - just for comparison.) Libby had a great time mostly rotating our seat around from side to side (just helped me shoot more targets.)
We rode the "People Mover" around Tomorrowland.
The "Tomorrowland Speedway."
And then there was her first "test" roller coaster: "The Barnstormer."
The girl LOVED it... and I knew we'd need to do some fast pass swapping in order to do some bigger coasters. She was fortunately right at the 40 inch height requirement for "Thunder Mountain" and "Splash Mountain."
Next, it was time for a Disney classic: "Dumbo!"
Then, it was off to a brand-new ride for all of us: "Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid." Libby rode it with Mimi and Diddy. I was sad not to ride that one with her, but the way the clamshells we sat in worked, they rotated around a bunch, so I was able to see her face. And there was so much to see on the ride itself! It was just beautiful! I hoped to ride it again during our visit, but we didn't quite manage it. Since it's so new, it has pretty long tines, so the first time we rode it we had a Fast Pass. Libby never picked it to ride again, so there ya go.
Next, a "Cast Member" offered to take our photo as a group!
Next, Libby had a Fast Pass to meet Ariel herself - in her grotto as a mermaid! She was beautiful and Diddy managed to take... LOTS of photos of these two together. Ariel asked Libby about her shoes and I shared with Ariel how much Libby loved the "Barnstormer" and had already ridden the way high-up "Astro-Orbiter," too. Ariel told Libby that was was "brave like Merida!" (So, now we really need to watch "Brave!") I think that was a high compliment, though Also, Merida has red hair like Ariel and I love both characters' hair.
Then, it was on to those spinning tea cups! Diddy braved it with Libby and me. We spun as fast as we could and had such fun!
And as we were leaving, we saw that the White Rabbit was meeting guests. As we waited in line, he had to leave for a few moments, but soon, he was back, WITH Alice! Bonus!
They were quite charming and taken with Libby, too.
And the next thing I knew, we were catching the middle of the "Move It! Shake It! Parade & Street Party." Libby and I stopped to follow Goofy's lead (and Minnie's too) for a few minutes with Chip & Dale! Then, Libby was ready to move on with her schedule.
I mean, we needed to tackle Splash Mountain! I was nervous that Libby wouldn't be allowed to ride, because she is just at 40 inches tall (the height requirement for this and for Thunder Mountain).
I think we just stood in line for this one, because surprisingly, towards the end of a cool day, large crowds of people weren't eager to get wet. But we were. I tossed on a poncho because I had charge of the backpack with our gear in it, but I managed to get pretty darn wet anyway. The water slopped in just right to get my derriere soaked for the next several hours!
Most importantly, Libby loved it! She loved the ride itself with all the Brer Rabbit characters, since she's watched "Song of the South" a number of times, and she loved the drop! She talked about riding it again many times before we actually had the opportunity to do so.
At some point, Diddy got a Mickey Mouse chocolate-dipped ice cream bar for a snack, and most of us enjoyed a bite or two!
Next, we had a Fast Pass for "Jungle Cruise." Michael had either never been on it or didn't remember it. We had a good guide! Michael had fun, as we all did. The guide had a very dry delivery and as long as you could hear what he said, it was good.
The wild "Thunder Mountain" followed, for Michael, Libby and me, anyway. We had a super time. I was almost as proud of Michael as I was of Libby for riding it.
Then, we flew on Aladdin's magic carpets! (Like Dumbo, or Astro Orbiter, but in a carpet.) I belted out "I Can Show You the World" for effect while I flew with Libby & Michael. I'm sure Libby appreciated it.
We also squeezed in a quick ride on "It's a Small World" for the first time. Libby seemed to really enjoy the boat ride and SO many things to see, with the music in so many languages. There is so much to take in on that one!
We had to leave the park for our dinner with the "Cinderella" cast at The Grand Floridian, just across the water after that. The line for the Monorail looked a bit too long, so we decided to take the ferry to dinner and plan to take the Monorail back to the park afterward. The line for the ferry was just long enough that we missed the first one. I thought I might flip, but Michael helped diffuse the situation. We were first on the boat for the next time and made it to dinner nearly on time. A kind Cast Member at the Grand Floridian showed us just where to go.
Libby got a photo with the Christmas tree outside of the restaurant while we waited, and we visited the life-sized Gingerbread House on display there, too.
And the tree in the lobby of The Grand Floridian.
Gingerbread House!
Then, it was time for dinner! It was a buffet, and yes, we were hungry. The decor was very pretty!
Before she got her food, Libby did make time to sit on Prince Charming's knee! (And we saw him again in the parade on Monday!)
And then Cindy was announced! We'd gotten some food by then and Libby was hard-pressed to stop chowing down on pizza and more to speak a word back to Cinderella. So I asked her a few questions about her mice (Libby's favorites), her new home, etc. She answered all with aplomb. And she and all the characters signed Libby's autograph book.
She even blew Libby multiple kisses before leaving!
Then came Anastasia, who was a hoot. We watched her visit several tables before ours and her expressions were a trip. She delivered at our table, too!
But Drizella was the one who was looking for a replacement for Cinderella to help keep the house clean. We asked her about Bruno (Cindy's dog) and she said Cindy had taken him to the castle and given him his own room, and yet hadn't given the step-sisters or their mother even a closet. We also asked about Lucifer's whereabouts, and Drizella explained that her mother was out looking for him, as he'd run out of the house. Drizella said he always made it back though, and usually before they got back from looking for him!
You can see in the photos below that Drizella was checking out Libby's sweeping skills! (Libby definite found her amusing.)
Finally, Cinderella and the Prince were announced for the official waltz. It was lovely!
And then Cindy asked LIBBY to dance! Seriously, Libby got up, and danced with Cinderella at dinner. And she was the only one Cinderella asked to dance with her.
So... her Mama's dream came true, at least. What a cool ending to Libby's first day at the Magic Kingdom!
From dinner, we went back to outside the Magic Kingdom to catch our bus back to the hotel and saw the castle all lit up with frost and frozen by Elsa. VERY pretty. But we had to get some sleep for a big day at Sea World on Sunday!
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