Magic Kingdom 2008

Can you believe that in just a few days we will all enter another new year!? The time truly does go by fast when you are having fun and this year Norwood and I have had fun! We have spent seven wonderful months exploring Disney (and we are going for a year). I thought since this Thursday is a new year I would spend this week highlighting some of my favorite Disney World memories from 2008. At any point this week jump in and share yours too. To begin our Disney reminiscing let us start in the Kingdom where imagination and fantasy rein… Magic Kingdom.

Before 2008 Magic Kingdom was for me, the place where you see Mickey and Minnie and ride the Haunted Mansion. I never before spent so much time and discovered so many things about Magic Kingdom. It was hard to narrow down my top 5 favorite memories of Magic Kingdom, I mean there were so many perfect days, but here we go….

5: Dream along with Mickey Stage Show… I do believe if I wish hard enough my dreams will come true!


4: Dreams Come True Parade… I am not an old Disney Parade pro but I have to say the Dreams Come True Parade is one of the prettiest Disney parades I have seen. All that lovely blue!


3: Riding the Rides with my little sister… We screamed, we laughed... I will never forget it!


2: Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party… where else in the world can you pretend you are a kid and trick or treat at 30 years old! My only regret of the night is that it was too cold to wear a costume.


And my absolute favorite memory of our Disney 2008 adventures is…..
1: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party! It was so fun we had to go twice!! I love Main Street with the decorations, snow, Christmas Music and all the awesome stage shows! There is no better place to be if you want to celebrate a Disney style Christmas.

Ahh looking back at Magic Kingdom makes me want to go right now! Actually I think I will charge my camera and head out to make more magical memories. Tomorrow I will tell you about my top five Epcot memories.

Exposition Hall

Located on Main Street Exposition Hall is a place to take funny photos with character cutouts, really nice photos as a princess or sit inside the quiet comfortable theatre and watch classic Mickey films. Every time we are at Magic Kingdom we stop in and Exposition Hall and wonder back to the theatre. It is a nice place to get out of the rain, heat or crowds. Plus there are a bunch of exhibits up to browse. Take a look at these old cameras and photographs…



And if you are feeling like you want to be silly just stick your head through any of the numerous cutouts and have someone snap a shot of you. Here is one that allows you to become a part of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves…



Well I hope that some of your favorites made it on my Magic Kingdom Favorites list this week if not tell us about them! Have a magical weekend!

Tomorrowland Transit Authority

Call me crazy but I like Transit Authority. I like to ride around and get great views of the park and go through the top of Space Mountain (because that is as close as this ride chicken will get). It is nice to get up there in the air and take a leisurely ride around and see Tomorrowland and Cinderella’s Castle, especially when the park is busy. I feel like it is just Norwood and I (most of the time we have our own car) way above the park and it is because of that, that I mark this as one of my favorite things in Magic Kingdom. Here are some of the photos from our last trip on the Transit Authority…

Mickey’s PhilharMagic

We saw this neat 3D movie for the first time this year but we absolutely love it. This show really feels like Disney with Goofy, Donald, Mickey and Minnie putting on their symphony. I love the sound effects like when Goofy is running around before the show starts to find Donald and then later open the curtain. Or when you can hear little Minnie and her high heels clicking around back stage. Not only are the sound effects really neat in this show the 3D movie is amazing. When little Donald reaches out to grab onto something when the instruments become mad I always reach out my hands for him. My favorite movie scene of the show is when Donald ends up at the table in Beauty and the Beast, oh the smell of apple pie! And the end of the show! I laugh out loud every time I see little Donald in the back wall. Plus you get to wear the cool opera glasses! This show is one of my favorite things in Magic Kingdom tomorrow I will tell you more about my favorite Magic Kingdom rides. If you want to see more of my Magic Kingdom photos head on over to my Magic Kingdom Slideshow.

Spectro Magic Parade

I remember the first time I saw this parade 2000 I was amazed at all the lights and the floats. My favorite float that seems to be around throughout the years is the Peacock. It is absolutely beautiful! I have to admit that although I am a sucker for parades (especially Disney Parades) this one I always look forward to. One night we decided to head out of the park early and as we were walking out the parade began making its way down Main Street. Well of course I made Norwood stopped and we stood on the steps of Exposition Hall to watch the parade. Here are a couple more shots of my favorite Magic Kingdom Parade…





Ahhh all the magical lights and music. But I have to ask… Where did Puff the Magic Dragon go?

Christmas Goodies and Dancing with the Tremaine Sisters

Oh what fun we have had this week! We absolutely love Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and we would love to hear about your trips to it as well. You can post your story in the comments section of this post (or any of the posts this week) on the Discussion board or email me at amanda@mousebeat.com. If you would like we will share your stories and photos next week here on Mouse Beat in the meantime let me fill your head with sugar and dancing…



Only during the Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party will you see the above sign. When you see this sign you know that you are near some of the best Christmas Cookies and Coco in the Magic Kingdom, take a look…





Yum! And all night long you can have cookies and coco and walk around Main Street and watch the snow (not to mention all the other cool stuff we talked about this week). Norwood and I ate so many cookies and had so much coco both nights that we had to go over to a dance party and shake off some of those calories. There were two dance parties around the park, one in Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café (which we talked about on Monday) with Goofy and Pluto and one in Fantasyland with the Tremaine sisters…



I was on the side of the dance floor snapping a few shots when all of a sudden Lady Tremaine looked over at me and pointed at me. They were playing Stayin Alive so I decided why not and began to do the famous John Travolta dance. Lady Tremaine then proceeded to do the same dance and so did the others on the dance floor. It was so great! If anyone has photos or video of me dancing please tell email me. I have no shots of me busting a move.

Well we have come to the end of a week long celebration of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. I had as much fun telling you about it as I had at the parties! Have a magical weekend everyone!



There is more information available about Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and there is a Christmas at Disney Slideshow running. Check them out!

Holiday Wishes and Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade

There is nothing more classic Disney than see a fireworks show that you can see nowhere else and watching a Parade full of all your Disney favorites. Well we were waiting for the festivities to begin at Mickey’s Verry Merry Christmas Party (they will let you in as early as 4pm with your ticket) one evening I heard a couple debating whether or not they wanted to go to the Party that night. The husband said “Well really it is only an extra fireworks show and a parade… how special could that be?” When I heard him say that I wanted to tell him that there was so much more but just as I was about to turn and say hello a cast member came up to them and told them all the events that would happen that night and that the Fireworks and Parade were something you would not see anywhere or anytime else. When I first heard about both parties I too questioned how they could really make it worth the extra ticket. The Halloween fireworks and parade were amazing and well of course it just got better with the Christmas Party Parade and Fireworks.

The Fireworks show is called “Holiday Wishes Celebrate the Spirit of the Season” and you can see it from anywhere in the park (although of course standing right in the middle of Main Street facing Cinderella’s Castle is the favorite place of many). Like all Disney Fireworks they were amazing. What was special about this show was that at one point they use the fireworks to make a Christmas tree over Cinderella’s Castle and the play the nutcracker while happy faces and toys explode in the sky. Here is one of my favorite shots of the fireworks show…




Besides the wonderful fireworks there is also the special parade called “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade.” All the favorite characters come out in the holiday dress and sing Merry Christmas to the audience. The costumes are amazing in this parade and I love the holiday songs and all the toys! Here is one of my favorite shots of the evening…



Oh there is so much to do at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party! We have almost covered it all this week. Tomorrow I want to tell you a little more about the special treats, and another fun dance party.

There is more information available about Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and there is a Christmas at Disney Slideshow running. Check them out!

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Stage Shows

If you like the stage shows at Magic Kingdom then you will love going to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party because there are three! We talked yesterday about Mickey’s Twas the Night Before Christmas which is a fantastic show and you do not want to miss it, but it is not the only one you can see during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. There are two more, “Celebrate the Season” and “Belle’s Enchanted Christmas.” Celebrate the Season is the main show that plays on the Castle Forecourt Stage (7:45, 10:05 and 11:20). Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Chip and Dale and Pluto join Christmas carolers on stage for songs and dance…



It is absolutely a wonderful show and my favorite part of the show is when Pluto plays Rudolph and is not allowed to play any reindeer games. He actually barks along to the tune… it is so cute.

The other show to see during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is Belle’s Enchanted Christmas. If you were here on Monday you will remember that I mentioned that we did not have the chance to see Belle tell a story in her Enchanted Garden well… we went back for a second night so we could see our favorites again and catch the things we missed before and Belle’s Encanted Christmas was one of them. In this show Belle with the help of her helpers and the audience tells the story of the first Christmas she spent with the Beast. It is really charming and the little kids had a great time…



There is more information available about Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and there is a Christmas at Disney Slideshow running. Check them out!

Mickey’s Twas the Night Before Christmas

What could be more classic Christmas then a telling of “Twas the Night Before Christmas”!? Mickey and his friends put on a great show. At first the hosts come out and introduce the story that Mickey will tell with the help of his friends. From the dancing and singing to the costumes this is the best stage show I have seen at Magic Kingdom. There were a couple of moments of the show that were just fantastic…



When Mickey and Minnie are “all snug in their beds” the Sugar Plum Fairy comes out with the Hippos from Fantasia. The three delight the crowd with not only lovely dancing but funny moments when the hippos bounced into each other and the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Another favorite moment of the show was when the Rockin Reindeer came out on stage and played Jingle Bell Rock…



And perhaps the cutest of all the evening was when Minnie sang “Santa Baby” to Goofy…



When Minnie sings that she wants a ring Mickey who was sitting on the bed puts his hands on his eyes and rolls around on the bed. It was so funny. Although I only covered a few of my favorite moments of the 15 minute show the whole show was fantastic and if you are heading over to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party this year make sure that you see this one in the Galaxy Palace Theater in Tomorrowland.

There is more information available about Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and there is a Christmas at Disney Slideshow running. Check them out!

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

Remember back in October when I spent two days talking about how great the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party was? Well all this week I want to tell you about Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party! We went to the party on the second day hoping that since it was still November the crowds might not be as large as they were for the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party… ah no. The crowds were large but some others we ran into during the party said that last year same time, there were even more people! What was really fantastic about the night (besides all the special events that I will tell you about) is that everyone was in the Christmas spirit already. It was hard not to be with snow falling, Christmas carols, Christmas cookies and hot coco.
We loved Mickey’s Not so Scary Halloween Party but Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas was even better. There was more to do at the Christmas Party than the Halloween Party. Here is a list of all the special things there are to do at the Very Merry Christmas (and it is also a list of everything we will be talking about this week)…

•Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade (8:15 and 10:30)
•Holiday Wishes Celebrate the Spirit of the Season (9:30)
•Mickey’s Twas the Night Before Christmas (7:00, 8:00, 9:00, 10:15, 11:15)
•Celebrate the Season Stage Show (7:45, 10:05, 11:20)
•Belle’s Enchanted Christmas (7:15, 8:10, 10:00, 11:15)
•Character Dance Parties

With careful planning and jazzed up on Christmas cookies and coco Norwood and I were able to do everything on the list except one thing… Belle’s Enchanted Christmas. We wanted to catch the last show of the evening but at the last minute decided to go back to Mickey’s Twas the Night Before Christmas. Although we missed Belle’s Christmas storytelling we did catch the Character Dance Party at the Starlight Café which we missed when we went to the Halloween Party.



At the Character Dance Party they play classic dance music and the hosts on the stage direct you in some dance moves (at one point there was a restaurant wide conga line) and to add to the fun various characters come in and out of the party. Two dancers we saw a lot of were Goofy dressed as Santa and Pluto (he could really boogie). When we got tired of dancing ourselves we headed over to see the two stage shows that evening, Mickey’s Twas the Night Before Christmas and Celebrate the Season. I will tell you more about Mickey’s Twas the Night Before Christmas tomorrow…

There is more information available about Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and there is a Christmas at Disney Slideshow running. Check them out!

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party II

There was so much fun stuff to do at the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Another very cool thing that you can only see while at the party is the Mickey’s Boo to You Halloween Parade. From the cute characters like Pooh in Piglet, Mickey and Minnie in their costumes to the totally creepy Haunted Mansion ghosts and grave diggers the parade was something very unique and not to be missed. My favorite parade moments were the grave diggers from the Haunted Mansion. They performed a dance in which they would drag their shovels along the ground to create sparks. Not only was they dance really great but just look at how creepy they are!



And speaking of dancing the Villains Mix and Mingle show was really neat. Those villains can dance. And the best part of it all was at the end of the show they come down into the crowd to mingle. Here is one of my favorite shots from the show…



But the best part of the evening were those who braved the cold and wore their costumes. Here are some of my favorite costumes of the night…



It was a lot of fun and I am positive that Norwood and I will go to another Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and of course now we have to check out the Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

Tuesday night Norwood and I went to our very first Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party in the Magic Kingdom. We really did not expect. We had been told by friends that they fireworks and the parade were very cool and of course you could walk around the Magic Kingdom and trick or treat. So we went thinking it would be good but… we had no idea how fantastic the party events could be! My favorite thing of the whole evening were the fireworks! Happy HalloWishes is by far the best fireworks show I have ever seen. Ghosts and Ghouls come out and the Villains take over. The ski lights up like never before. Take a look at just some of the shots that I took of Happy HalloWishes…





Jackie you were so right the fireworks were AMAZING! When they tell you that you can see them from all over the park, they really mean it. The scream along at the end was so cool.

Another thing that was fun that I have not done in many, many years was trick or treat. Norwood and I had planned to go to Mickey’ Not So Scary Halloween Party in costume as Giselle and Prince Edward from Enchanted. When the night arrived it was just too darn cold to wear them, so we went in regular dress. Here are some shots from Alice and the Mad Hatter’s Treat Trail…







We ate so much candy last night I think we are good on sugar for the rest of the year! There was so much more that we experienced at our very first Mickey’s No So Scary Halloween Party that I will have to tell you more tomorrow.

In the meantime if you would like to see more of the fantastic Happy HalloWishes Fireworks show check out my flickr Happy HalloWishes Set or Happy HalloWishes Slideshow. And also check out my Alice and the Mad Hatter’s Treat Trail photos. And of course if you want more Disney Halloween photos I have an ever growing Disney Halloween Slideshow.

Dreams Come True Parade

Another specialty of the Year of the Million Dreams is the Dreams Come True Parade. The parade features not only all your favorite characters and their dreams but also animation artists who create such wonderful drawings and characters as Mickey Mouse himself…



Many of the animation artists are on bicycles and they feature the art of Disney on several of the floats. It is a great parade, one of my favorite Disney parade so far. Be sure to catch it on your next visit to Magic Kingdom. The parade begins in Frontierland at 3pm daily.

Dream Along With Mickey

During the Year of a Million Dreams (which is quickly coming to a close) Magic Kingdom plays host to an incredible stage show called Dream Along with Mickey. The show involves dancing, singing, fireworks and dreaming. The characters come out and talk about their dreams to one another. Poor little Donald declares to all the characters and the audience that he does not believe in silly dreams. Shocked they all hope to show him that if he wishes hard enough dreams come true. With special guests some welcome and others who only want to cause trouble and great dancing the show is something that you will not want to miss.

The show is presented on the castle stage each day and the show times are as follows: 9:40am, 10:40am, 11:40am, 4:35pm, 5:35pm, and 6:35pm (be sure to pick up a times guide on your visit to check the times for your days).

It is a sweet show that will have everyone believing in dreams by the end of the show. The show is popular and the area tends to get crowded so make sure to arrive early to get a good spot.

If you would like to see more of my photos from the Dream Along with Mickey Stage Show head on over to my flickr set or slideshow.

Kodak Photo Spots

The last fun free thing to do while inside Disney parks things I would like to mention this week is of course the Kodak Picture Spots. Each spot is a special place in the park where you can stand in front of and get a great photo. It is fun to go around the world and take photos of yourself or your family at each one of the spots or if you are like me, you can also take and collection pictures of the Kodak Picture Spot signs. Yes I know I am a dork. This year I have started my picture collection of the Kodak Picture Spot signs. Here is my latest addition to my Kodak Picture Spot Sign Collection…



And here is the shot that I took in front of the Spot…

Window Shopping for Disney Glass

Coming off the fun of last week and the perfect day at Disney I started to think about all the things that we did at the parks that cost very little money or no money at all. Once you are inside the parks there are so many activities you can do besides ride the rides (you know how ride chickens are) so I thought that this week I would tell you about some of the neat things I found to do while at Disney. Of course there is always window shopping. All the parks and Downtown Disney have unique shops with stuff you may not see other places…especially if you are a Disney nut. While at Magic Kingdom recently (Norwood and I suddenly have Magic Kingdom on the brain since our perfect day) we went into a store that sold some of the best glass sculptures I have ever seen. Not only do you get the chance to see lots and lots of glass Disney memorabilia but you also get to see artists making the glass…





Norwood and I sat there for awhile and watched both gentlemen make little glass items and then we browsed the store. We saw some amazing things and had a great time looking and watching the artists. Here is just one of the items you can find in the glass store located just next door to Main Street Bakery in Magic Kingdom’s Main Street…



If you would like to see more of the items that were made and for sale in the Glass Shop check out my Disney Glass Slideshow.

The End to the Perfect Day

We did so much during our perfect day at Magic Kingdom I could not even write all about this week. One of Monica’s favorite things during the day was the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular at the end of the evening. Not only was it Monica’s first time seeing Disney fireworks but it was also me and Norwood’s first time seeing the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular. It was really amazing and quite different from other fireworks at Disney. Jimney Cricket is your host for the fireworks show and several of the characters talk about their dreams and wishes. There was even a special appearance by Tinkerbelle! Also for those who have not yet seen Wishes Nighttime Spectacular I have a little tip… watch the smoke clouds after the fireworks, you might just see some hidden Mickey’s. Here are a few shots of the End to our perfect Magic Kingdom day…







If you would like to see more of the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular check out my flickr set or slide show.

Magic Kingdom Perfect Day Part IV

Whew! We have done so much this week so far let’s take a little break and have a bite at a great place on Main Street, The Plaza Restaurant.

Location: Main Street USA – Magic Kingdom

Meals Served: Lunch and Dinner

Reservations?: Well it is a sit down restaurant and generally you do need reservations but on our perfect day we just walked right up and received the perfect table. If you need to make reservations or you want to you can do so by calling 407-WDW-DINE

Price Range: $15-35.99 per person

Type of Food: Sandwiches, burgers, and sundaes and the best Milkshakes in Magic Kingdom

Review:

The Plaza was great. The service was fantastic and we were able to walk right in on our perfect day at Magic Kingdom. Norwood and I were just wandering around Main Street when we were looking around (we never really noticed how much was there that we had never seen before) when we found The Plaza. Just as we were walking up there was a Dream Along with Mickey stage show going to begin. We did not know what it was so we asked the hosts what was going on and if it was the last show. They were so helpful and made sure that we would have enough time for a meal and then we able to walk right over to the next stage show.

The food was great! They had some great veggie options. Here is what Norwood and ordered…


On the right is a hummus sandwich with mozzarella, lettuce tomato and a small amount of pesto and on the left is the turkey club. Both were great. The French fries (you have a choice of chips, slaw or French fries with each sandwich) are the best fries I have ever had, I highly recommend them! What was my favorite part of the meal was the desert…



We both ordered a Mint Chip Milk shake and neither one of us could finish it. They are very large portions. What we thought we would do next time is buy two different flavors and split them (each milkshake could feed two people).

The Plaza both food and service were great and we both highly recommend it.