Christmas in Disney Part IV: Magic Kingdom

We spent Christmas Eve at Magic Kingdom.

I love every single Disney park, but like most everyone agrees, Magic Kingdom is the best! Whenever I walk into Magic Kingdom, I feel exactly like I did when I was 8. It was so fun to watch all of the kids experience that feeling for the first time! Tanner and Chandler had fun taking in all of the excitement, but Makenzie was especially fun to watch. Since she is a little older, she understood what was going on a little bit better. She started getting uncontrollably excited starting from when she got glimpses of Cinderella's castle from the monorail! And she got to where her new Cinderella dress from Nonnie and Grandpa for the occasion!

Main Street was all decorated for Christmas...

 ...and a show was already going on in front of the castle. Several Disney characters including princesses were performing and it made all of the kids stop in their tracks and stare.

Peter Pan is notorious for always having the longest line. So while the boys went to grab Splash Mountain Fast Passes, we got in line at Peter Pan and they met us. Once again, our early arrival was hugely successful. There was hardly a wait!

We then headed over to ride Splash Mountain and the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Kenz rode Splash Mountain twice, but didn't really care for it (the second time was done on bribe). It's hard to tell, but that's them coming down. And then floating away.

She went CRAZY over the railroad...absolutely love it! Apparently she's an adrenaline junkie. It was so hilarious to see this little tiny girl in her sparkly dress and Princess Minnie ears yell "AGAIN!!!" after the end of a rollercoaster. She has us ride it multiple times.

We rode Winnie the Pooh, which the kids loved. Then we headed over to my favorite Magic Kingdom ride: Small World. I've loooooved it ever since it was little. Chandler officially loves it now, too! He was mesmerized watching all little dolls and animals dance around in their costumes from different countries.

Disney World had a huge surprise for me (yes, for me, personally). They built Belle's castle with a little French Village that includes Gaston's Tavern. AHHH!

I got a Chocolate Chip Scone from the Tavern. It was magical.

They are also built Ariel's village with a Little Mermaid ride that is an instant classic.

Disney has been busy...they also built Rapunzel's tower!

And they are working on a Seven Dwarfs Mine-Coaster!

We also caught the awesome Christmas parade. It's so cute watching the kids wave to all the characters!

Seeing as the kids would get exhausted spending 10 - 14 hour days the parks, we had to improvise with naps. They would sleep in their strollers. Makenzie was a pro at falling asleep in the chaos. Tanner would fall asleep once in awhile. With Chandler we would lay his stroller all the way back and use his blanket to make a cave that blocked out sound and visual stimulation. He would cry at first but usually fall asleep within a few minutes.

We obviously rode many, many more rides throughout the day, not all of which are pictured. One of the last ones we did that night was the Buzz Lightyear ride, Josh and Dad's personal favorite. I like it very much, but I stink at it. I'm always thousands of points below everyone else.

 At night, the castle was all lit up for Christmas and looked amazing.

Trying to get out of the park was a nightmare. The kids were tired, so we tried to leave during the parade, figuring we would catch it on Thursday. The place was completely gridlocked. We were able to move about an inch a minute people were pushing us, running us down with strollers and wheelchairs...it was awful. But the kids were so sweet and patient and we eventually made it. Despite that finale, Christmas Eve in Magic Kingdom was a spectacular experience!