Disney, Day 2: Tuesday, 4/12

We were all-in on Tuesday, heading to the Magic Kingdom early enough to see the characters perform a little welcome routine before opening time. L&G didn’t mind the wait because they were coloring in their magic-ink coloring books, which were easily the best Disney-prep purchase I made. When the park opened, we quickly headed right to the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, which L&G had said they wanted to do and which we didn’t have a Fast Pass for. It was a misstep. This was a real roller-coaster, tame by coaster standards but definitely an overwhelming choice for kids who’d never ridden one before. Greta was enraged by the tight lap bar, and Lucia was alternately screaming-happy and completely terrified. I hate roller coasters and was glad when it was over.

We needed a break after that grand beginning, so we got cinnamon buns from Gaston’s Tavern and found a little table in the shade. This was eerily calm and quiet, right in the middle of the park--a perfect little rest. We went on the Winnie the Pooh ride next, and then had our first princess meet-and-greets with Cinderella and Rapunzel at Princess Fairytale Hall. Lucia was so excited she was actually jumping up and down, and when it was their turn to meet Cinderella they asked to see her shoes and gave her huge hugs. They were even more excited to meet Rapunzel. These meet-and-greets are incredibly well-orchestrated. Only a couple of families are let in at a time into the small princess room, which is dim and fancy and really feels like you’re getting a private audience. The princesses took a few non-rushed minutes to ask the girls questions, sign their autograph books, and pose for pictures. L&G were beyond excited.

Then we rode the carousel again and went to see Mickey’s Philharmagic, a 3D movie. Here’s where a six-year-old and a four-year-old diverge: while Greta was annoyed by the 3D glasses, Lucia was all-in, reaching out to grab the 3D objects in front of her and bowled over by the whole experience. By the end, Greta was enjoying it too, and both girls were scream-laughing over Donald Duck’s antics.

Our next ride was Peter Pan’s Flight, the girls’ favorite (non-princess) activity of the trip. Then we had lunch at the Friar’s Nook, by which point Lucia was so hot and sleepy she could barely sit at the table. We revived them enough to do It’s a Small World, bought some Ariel costume jewelry, then called it a day and went back to the hotel for some swimming by 1:30pm.

We’d decided to make the rest of Tuesday unplanned, so we swam for several hours--L&G went down one of the waterslides a bunch of times, Greta improved even more dramatically at swimming, and they had a blast. We ate dinner at Kona, right at the resort, then walked around the torch-lit paths for a little while before bedtime.