Well I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, Hanukkah and/or Kwanzaa. It's time to bring you day four of my December 2008 trip to Walt Disney World.
Day four started out about as nicely as any day ever could. What could be better than a bit of Soarin' during morning Extra Magic Hours at Epcot? This (and Toy Story Mania) are my two most favorite attractions in all of Walt Disney World. I could ride this a hundred times in a row. The music alone is outstanding and the sensation of flight is quite realistic -- and there's nothing like the scent of orange groves! If you haven't taken a flight on Soarin' - it is a DisneyDaddy Must Do!After a pretty short wait on Soarin', we hustled over to Test Track to jump in the standby line before Epcot opened to the main crowd. This would be my daughter's first ride on Test Track. She was nervous and was a little startled by the high speed bank-turn, but she made it through (oh, she's not done with Test Track -- just wait).
After Test Track, we walked along the Canada-side of World Showcase to a pastry stand to grab a small bite before a late lunch. It was before 11a.m., so most pavilions weren't open yet. I have to say it was nice to stroll along the western side of World Showcase when there weren't many people around. You get a chance to really take in the architecture of the Canada and Great Britain pavilions. As we were finishing our pastries, I noticed a person in a Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure outfit. I asked if they were testing the system today and the cast member said that they were and invited us to test it out. I've already posted a spoiler-free review on the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure, so see that post for more. Once it's up and running, this is most definitely on the DisneyDaddy Must-Do list.
We continued our walk around World Showcase, stopping in a few stores including one in Great Britain where we managed to complete the Harry Potter quiz to win a magical moments certificate. My kids had a great time interacting with the cast member as they were working on this quiz - yet another reason why it's the cast members that make Disney such a magical place.
Later that night, we were going to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, so we took the monorails back to the Grand Floridian in order to change for the party and let the kids (and us!) rest a bit. We were in the Sago Cay building at the Grand Floridian, so we had views like what you see above from our balcony. Just to the right of this vantage point is the outside patio for Gasparilla Grill and Games. This is a great place to sit and watch the evening fireworks at the Magic Kingdom. 
Early that afternoon, we hopped on the resort monorail for the short trip to the Magic Kingdom. We had an ADR at the Crystal Palace before MVMCP started. We had breakfast at the Crystal Palace back in March and loved it, so I was hoping dinner would be just as good. The Crystal Palace didn't disappoint. It was wonderful! We also had a great server who had a lot of fun interacting with the characters and with our children. Even the topiaries from the Hundred Acre Wood had decked the halls.
After dinner, we watched the lighting of the Cinderella's Castle. It was incredible! I had been waiting to see this for a year and it was worth every second of the wait. As the lighting wrapped up, we checked in and received our wristbands for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. This might be the only real disappointment of our entire trip. I understand the intent behind MVMCP is to create an exclusive event, but the park felt more crowded than it had been (and would be) for our entire trip. We stood in line 45 minutes just to get a picture with Mickey Mouse and the Twas The Night Before Christmas shows were standing room only! The lines to get hot chocolate and cookies were huge. I never got a chance to sample this part of the party. We skipped the first parade and managed to slip into a short line to see Santa just as the fireworks were wrapping up. Of course the lines were huge within a few minutes.
The kids were getting pretty tired, so my wife took them back to the resort while I stayed to see the second parade. Expecting a big crowd, I staked out a prime standing spot about 30 minutes ahead of time. I had a tripod, so I was back from the curb a few paces so others could sit in front of me and, for the most part, I had a great view. There was one person who kept trying to step in front of my lens. I guess rude people are everywhere, even at WDW. I do have to say this is the best nighttime parade I have ever seen. I am a big Spectromagic Fan, but this parade was fantastic. I also was amazed with how LONG it was! It ran for more than 20 minutes!
Once the second parade had ended, there was a huge throng heading for the exit. Following my own tip, I hung around and made my way towards the Partners statue to take a few million photos of Cinderella's Castle. There was a near-full moon as well, which made for some very beautiful shots.
Probably the best part of of MVMCP was being in the castle forecourt with no one around you. It was just me and the castle as the party came to an end. I joined the last part of the throng leaving the park and found a new tip for getting back to a Magic Kingdom resort -- look for that on an upcoming Tip Tuesday.
Well that does it for day 4. Stay tuned for day 5!
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