Florida Road Trip 2: WDW Day 1 The Magic Kingdom

Up early to catch the boat over to The Magic Kingdom to be there by opening time at 9am. The boat access was one of the reasons why we chose to stay at The Wilderness Lodge. It was only around 10 minutes down the Lake, with boats going every 20 minutes or so.

Disney does the 'experience' better than anyone. We were impressed with the opening of the Kingdom. A whole show with the Disney characters took place on the railway station above where we were waiting as part of building the excitement and anticipation of opening the gates.

Having decided that the authors of the Unofficial Guide to WDW knew better than us how to maximise the use of our time, we followed their touring plans for the three days of our entry into the parks. So following Day One of the Magic Kingdom Two-day Touring Plan, adjusted for the fact that Kieren didn't make the 44 inch height limit for some rides, we were on our way:

• Rode Buzz Lightyear (which ended up being Kieren's favourite ride, shooting targets from our vehicle)
• Rode Winnie the Pooh
• Rode Peter Pan's Flight
• Watched Mickey's PhilharMagic
• Rode It's a Small World (where the Australian Aboriginal depiction left a bit to be desired)
• Went through The Haunted Mansion (where Kieren was scared by the ghosts, not being able to tell what was real and what was Disney)
• Rode the Liberty Belle riverboat (haven't we been here before in Dreamworld??!!)
• Watched The Hall of Presidents (boring but the kids confused as to how dead presidents were moving and talking to them. George Bush was also confusing to them but they probably aren't alone there.)
• Watched the Country Bear Jamboree
• Explored Tom Sawyer Island (including a number of tunnel type caves)
• Watched Stitch's Great Escape (where Kieren was very scared, declared we weren't allowed to do that ride again and subsequently decided there was a 'good Stitch' and a 'bad Stitch)
• Rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority

During the day, Olivia also met Snow White's Fairy Godmother and Kieren met Buzz Lightyear. Somewhere in there we also watched the afternoon Disney Dreams Come True Parade, which was one of the highlights of the day. Olivia and I also rode Space Mountain, a good roller coaster ride limited only by the 55 minute queue for the 5 minute ride. (But also backing up the guidebook's advice of when and how to maximise time usage in the parks.) We also went back to ride Buzz Lightyear again before leaving The Magic Kingdom for the day.

Malcolm