Welcome to the fourth and final installation of my Disney World recaps (read part I, part II, and part III here). This has been a long time coming, no? It’s been about six weeks since I’ve returned from Disney, and I find myself frequently daydreaming about it. Le sigh. Without further ado, let’s recap.
my sister in front of the castle
We spent the latter half of our last day in Disney World in Magic Kingdom, which was open til midnight thanks to Extra Magic Hours. The three of us paused outside the main entrance for a photo, a la the grand tradition started years ago.
As we walked down Main Street, we had the good fortune to stumble upon the Electrical Parade.
Unfortunately, the lines for most rides were still mega-long, so we didn’t get a chance to ride Space Mountain. I’m still bummed about it. But we ticked off most of the other major rides, including the Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, The Pirates of the Caribbean, the Jungle Book Cruise, and a hidden gem favorite, the PeopleMover in Tomorrowland. (Splash Mountain was closed for repairs—again, I don’t want to talk about it).
Lynnie and I aboard the PeopleMover
The Haunted Mansion ride broke down while our little car was in the spooky graveyard scene, meaning my mom, sister, and I were stuck in front of a creepy animatronic gravedigger for a solid 15 minutes. I thought, if that animatronic man moves one toe out of line (a la this “Saturday Night Live” sketch), I’m outta here. Oh, Disney! Always heightening the thrills. Even unintentionally.
My mom went back to the hotel around 10 p.m., while Rach and I snuck in a few more rides. It was just about midnight when we headed toward the exit and strolled down Main Street—designed like Walt Disney’s boyhood hometown in Missouri—we were both feeling nostalgic. We simply wanted to linger a little while longer.
We paused for photos.
We ate some Mickey Mouse-shaped Rice Krispie treats.
And with a bit of a heavy heart, we exited the park, bound for places that were decidedly less magical.
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Ah, this looks lovely! We’re taking the girls to Disney in May and I’ve never been before. I’m excited to experience it as an adult but wish I could see it all through the eyes of a child.
Oh Liz, you’re going to have SO much fun! Can’t wait to see your pictures
Oh, that Electrical Parade must be gorgeous! What a sea of sparkles!
That’s such a good way to describe it, Shari!
All of this looks so amazing, I would have loved the Electrical Parade! How am I 23 and have never gone to Disney World? I also love the pic of you and Main Street.. looks absolutely gorgeous and I could probably hang out there all day and be perfectly content!
Glad you had such a great time!
Haha Britta, I am SO with you about hanging out on Main Street. There are so many little details that I feel like I could spend hours walking in and out of the shops and browsing the goods! You’ll get there soon enough
The Canada pavilion at Epcot is amazing, by the way!
Bummer that Space and Splash Mountain were both un-rideable, but this trip seems like so much fun! Love that you got to spend time with your mom and sister in such a fun place!
Thanks, Laurie! I was so glad to spend some quality time with my mom and sister — I hope I can make this an annual or every-other-year trip.
Love this recap! Even though some of the other parks are bigger and flashier, there’s just something about the Magic Kingdom. I really want to plan a trip there, but I haven’t sold John on the idea!
I definitely agree, Natalie! Mike is a hard sell too. He grew up going to Disney World a lot as a kid, so he feels like he wants to vacation elsewhere now. Whereas I still can’t get enough!
last time i went to disney world i was probably 10 years old, this makes me so nostalgic for it! how many places in the world can you honestly get just as giddy about visiting when you’re in your 20′s as when you’re 10 years old?!? now that is something special!
I couldn’t agree more! And giddy is the perfect word to describe it. You’re so right–Disney World is just a special place.
It’s cool that you have all these recaps to look back on with all the memories!
Thanks, Liz! I was so happy to spend some quality time with my mom and sister.
Haha! Too funny that your ride stopped on the haunted house! Scary. When I was in Disney last, we had our ride stall out on Splash Mountain, just before the big climb for the big fall. Me and my sister were super freaked….you don’t want a ride like that to have any problems! The picture is priceless. Complete terror on our faces.
Haha oh my goddddd, Meghan, I’d be really freaked on Splash Mountain if it stalled. I am still so bummed that I didn’t get to ride it this last time!
If the key to longevity is to stay young at heart, you will live a long life.
Why, thank you, Will!
Perfect SNL reference!
My goal in life is to make as many relevant SNL references as possible
Oh my goodness, I want these Mickey Mouse-shaped Rice Krispie treats. And I now want to go to Disney World, too!!
Oh man, I want those rice krispie treats again! I saw little kids walking around with them and I started salivating. Only in Disney!
I can never get enough Disney! And being an Orlando gal, I definitely spend a lot of time enjoying the parks. I’m actually off to enjoy Epcot later this evening!
I’m so jealous you can go visit whenever you like! That would be a dream for me
The Rice Krispie treats look amazing
I’m sad these posts are over but I’m really glad you shared your trip with us! I seriously love reading anything about Disney World. I had this videotape (when I was little) that had sing-along songs featured in the Magic Kingdom! I need to dig that up and figure out how to burn it to DVD for my kids!
Here is my fav: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJrWirVe8zk It features the Haunted Mansion ride!! Haha.
Hahaha oh my goodness, Di, I am so sad that I didn’t watch these as a child! Too good! Thanks for following along with these posts–I was worried they were going to be overkill.
Always wanted to see the Electrical Parade, looks amazing.
It really was! I skipped it when I visited Disney World in my teens but I definitely appreciate it again! So magical.
like disney land..