Magic Kingdom

We knew that since we were down in Orlando, we would hit up Disney World at least once. We had planned on going the first Sunday that we were in Florida, but then we heard that the Disney marathon was happening and 25 000 people would be running. We decided to switch up our schedule to avoid a crowded Disney experience. Big mistake. We heard from a friend who visited that day that it was slow - the exact opposite of what we had thought.

We wound up visiting Magic Kingdom on Sunday, January 20. We couldn't believe how crowded it was already at gate opening. It just got worse as the day went on. We finally figured out that Martin Luther King Day was Monday, so everyone had headed to Disney for the long weekend. Boo. Check out the crowd. It was insane. The wait for some of the rides was 95 minutes. Umm. No thanks.

Luckily our kids aren't old enough to realize that there was so much more that Disney had to offer. We grabbed a few fast passes for some rides so we took the kids on a few. Well, Chris mostly did. Eli and I sat and watched and enjoyed the sunshine. The good thing is that our kids are really young and meeting the characters was by far their favourite part. They were all cute and nervous and starstruck.

There's just so much to see when you walk around. Chelsea was soaking it all in. I have about 50 pictures of her all in random poses similar to this one.

This picture is my favourite of the day. Look at the awe in her face. Biting her lip, hands nervously clutching her dress, eyeing up a beautiful princess. Kudos goes out to the Disney staff. This Cinderella was fantastic and made her feel so so special.

Rapunzel was my favourite. She was so spunky and energetic, just like the cartoon. I was giddy as an adult. There is just something so magical about Disney. I'm so glad I could introduce Chelsea to it.

Gavin was so adorable meeting Mickey. I'm not sure if he'll remember this, but I know I will.

My favourite part of the day was watching the night parade, the light show on the castle and the amazing fireworks. Although it was crowded, we had great seats and enjoyed the show, cuddling our kids.

It was bright. Eli's eyes looked like this pretty much the whole time.

 It was magical - overwhleming and magical. I am such a Disney girl. I know we'll be back in a few years, only next time, we'll do a bit more planning and research and hopefully pick a day when it isn't so crowded.