Choosing which park to go to first in Walt Disney World really isn't as easy as you think it might be. It took me a while to decide if I wanted to go and see the castle first in Magic Kingdom or if I wanted to break with the 'tradition' and go somewhere else like Epcot.
After a lot of thinking about it, I finally decided - as my parents were happy to go along with whatever plan I came up with - that we would go to Magic Kingdom on our first park day, after all.
If you have never been lucky enough to go to Walt Disney World in Florida then you won't have a true sense of the world of magic that is created. On the approach to the main entrance you can tell you are getting closer as the lamp posts and street signs are suddenly transformed into the trademark Disney purple colour.
Not long after that you see the magical archway welcome you back to your magical home. From here on in you are enveloped in a world of pure charm. You cannot see any other part of Orlando, all you can see, feel, think, hear and smell is Disney - how wonderful.
I cannot lie, everything about the place impresses me, even the car parking. Yes everyone, I am impressed by car parking - but I have my reasons. You don't get to park in any space you like, oh no! Each guest is guided into a car parking space by a cast member and the whole process is done with such precision that you barely know it's happened. Each space fills up in a military fashion but still manages to feel cheery - how is that even possible. My other favourite thing about the car park, which I will cease talking about very soon is that each section is named after a Disney character. Our first day in Magic Kingdom, we were in the hero side of the parking lot in the Simba section. Now you can't lie, that is adorable.
Despite my serious hatred of boats, I knew that we couldn't enter Magic Kingdom any other way but on the Ferry Boat. That being said I barely felt like I was even on water so I was totally fine and began to wonder if I really do get motion sick - then I remembered back to the time on a ferry to Scotland when I couldn't see the floor for the whole boat spinning and quickly decided this was a fluke!
Walking through the gates and onto Main Street felt like a dream. Was I really there, back in the most magical place on earth? It felt like I'd come home and I didn't even know I thought of it that way. Seeing the castle was so special. It was even more beautiful than I thought it would be. I don't have a clear memory from my past visits as a kid, so it felt like I was seeing it all for the first time and what a first time it was.
As we were staying so close to the parks we had managed to arrive just as the park was opening which meant we got to see the Welcome Show. Something we had never seen in our previous visits. Well, I defy anyone not to be filled with happiness and joy at watching Mickey on stage with his friends, inviting the fairy godmother to wave her magic wand and declare all the lands open. There were even some sparkling fireworks to accompany. I am not ashamed to say I had a tear in my eye.
From here our first port of call was to do some rides when things were quiet. We started with one of my personal favourites It's A Small World. I know this ride is a little outdated to some but it really is so charming and the perfect way to ease yourself into the day.
The next stop for us was our first fast pass of the day! On a side note I think I might do a whole post on Fast Passes as I learnt a lot of different things both before and whilst I was in the park regarding them - might be helpful, might not be!
The next stop for us was our first fast pass of the day! On a side note I think I might do a whole post on Fast Passes as I learnt a lot of different things both before and whilst I was in the park regarding them - might be helpful, might not be!
Anyway, back to what I was saying. I had booked us onto Splash Mountain. Now I have never done this ride before as I was also too little or just do scared but I told my mum I was going to give things a go this time and I did. I have to say, it really is such a great ride. It does help that I am a huge fan of the movie it is based on, South of The South but there is something about the quaintness that makes you seem to forget about the dramatic drop. The drop is pretty big - well for me it is - but it just made me laugh. It was over so fast and I was soaked by the end but it was the perfect way to face my 'fear' of big rides.
After we came off and had put ourselves back together as we were rather soaked, we decided that it was time for lunch. There are so many choices but we settled on Columbia Harbour House and headed straight in when it opened at 11am. I had the shrimp and fish combo which came with hush puppies and I chose fries as the side. As with any food in Disney it wasn't cheap but you know to expect that so it was okay. I just loved the theming and that all the cast members were dressed in the costumes to match the style of the restaurant. The one meal did us all day and all we needed was the odd snack. I would definitely recommend.
I think this is as good a place as any to stop as, I feel like if I go on much longer this will turn into a novel rather than a blog post. As you can see, I have named this Part 1 as there will be more parts coming up over the weeks, where I tell you all about the fireworks and everything else we covered in this magical land they call - Disney's Magic Kingdom!
Have you ever been to Walt Disney World?
What would you love to do in Magic Kingdom?
What would you love to do in Magic Kingdom?
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