An early start today - going to the Magic Kingdom. Jacob has an appointment to transform into a pirate and join the Pirate's League, and Katie is going to get princessified at the Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boutique.
We got there early enough to watch the opening ceremony at the front of the park
The Magic Kingdom Christmas tree
A wider shot of the Town Square Theater where talking Mickey Mouse hangs out to greet guests
Jacob being pirated
A view of the back of Cinderella Castle. The Biddidi-Bobbidi-Boutique is underneath its arches.
Katie's makeover in process. Let me just say, there were freakin' princesses everywhere. The place was lousy with 'em (and with perfectionist princess moms). However, once the process was complete every little girl lit up with delight and carried herself regally back out into the park. Cha-ching, Disney, cha-ching.
Princessification is complete. Presenting Princess Snow White Katie
Tom Sawyer island on the left, Liberty Square on the right, and The Haunted Mansion in the dead center
We took some time to tour the New Fantasyland area, and the Storybook Circus area, and they really are something. The theming on the outside of The Little Mermaid ride was excellent, and it continued on in to the queue. I think it was some of the best work Disney has done. The ride itself is also very enjoyable - better in person than the videos I watched on YouTube when it first opened. The Ursula animatronic is stupendous.
The Storybook Circus area is where they've relocated Dumbo, and built a 2nd Dumbo ride to handle the crowds. It also contains Goofy's Barnstormer coaster, the Casey Jr. train Soak 'N' Splash Station, meet and greet opportunities with Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck and other characters, and a large circus "tent" that has souvenirs and snacks such as fudge, caramel apples, popcorn, cookies, etc.
The way the Dumbos work is that you get in line and are given a pager device like when you are waiting for a table in a restaurant. The kids can then go into another large circus "tent" where there is a playground they can run around/on/through/over/under. When their turn to ride comes, the pager goes off and you take it back up to the stand to get in the very short line for the next Dumbo ride. Considering that Dumbo used to be one of the longest lines in the park, this was a very smart solution.
So I'm sitting on this low stone wall outside the Storybook Circus. I've just eaten a caramel apple and am quite sleepy - the sugar hadn't kicked in yet. Todd and Jacob are in the playground tent, Holly and Gavin are meeting characters in the other tent, and Brian and Katie are across the way watching a show of clowns. I'm sort of nodding in and out of consciousness when I become aware that I am no longer alone on the wall. A (Italian, I think) woman is sitting beside me looking at a map. She and her child also seem tired. I on the other hand am now wide awake and a little freaked out. There was no one on either side of me on the wall for about 10 feet in each direction, yet I come to out of a food coma to find this lady sitting so close to me our legs are practically touching. After casually checking to make sure I still had my possessions (I didn't know what else to think), I tried very nonchalantly to take a picture to record the moment. Here it is:
Inconceivable
Walking through New Fantasyland with Beast's Castle in the background. Behind the fence on the left is the Seven Dwarfs' Mine coaster, which is scheduled to open in 2014.
While Brian and Jacob rode Space Mountain, Holly, Gavin, Katie, Todd and I stood in line for the new attraction, Enchanted Tales with Belle. In this attraction, a queue winds through the gardens and around the porch of Belle's father Maurice's cottage. Once inside the cottage, you can see evidence of his tinkering around the room of his workshop. On the wall is a mirror Beast created so Belle could easily visit her father whenever she liked. As you watch, the mirror transforms in front of you. The frame comes alive with lights and sparkles, the mirror becomes a looking glass showing the woods outside the cottage and then the Beast's castle. While this is happening the mirror is slowly growing larger, before finally disappearing before your eyes to reveal a passageway into the castle. This effect is astounding, and had everyone in the room stunned.
After stepping through the door where the mirror used to be, you find yourself in an antechamber with the 7-foot tall animated wardrobe from the film. She and a cast member explain that it's Belle's birthday, and as a surprise the guests will be retelling to her the story of how she and the Beast first met and fell in love. The wardrobe is then opened up and props are brought out. The cast members select members of the 30 or so people in the room to play certain roles: Beast, Maurice in prison, knights, horses, Mrs. Potts, Chip, the wardrobe, the dancing dishes. The cast member instructs everyone in the role, and the rest of the audience is engaged to provide various sound effects during key parts of the story.
After all the roles are learned, the group is led into the library, where Lumiere is waiting. Lumiere is one of the most incredible animatronics I've seen. Not only is he small, but he's incredibly flexible and animated, his face is so full of expression, and the fire effects are unbelievable. He really looks like the cartoon brought to life. I've included a short video below, although the quality doesn't do him justice.
Lumiere gives final instructions before the lights dim, then in walks Belle. Everyone yells surprise!, and she interacts charmingly with the story as the cast presents it to her, with help from the cast members and the audience. After the story is over, each cast member gets to pose with Belle and gets a bookmark I believe (since we're in the library). The whole experience is enchanting - this was definitely an attraction that lives up to its name.
The amazing Lumiere animatronic in Enchanted Tales with Belle
Photo opportunity with Belle after the story was finished
That, ladies and gentlemen, is princess hair
Riding the royal steed to meet the prince at the ball. Or to the forest to spend time with dwarfs. By this time I had my princess stories all mixed up.
Dusk approaches
They now have a Starbucks on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom, and there's also one in Epcot. I have mixed emotions about this. I love my Starbucks, and was happy to be able to get it, but at the same time it felt very un-Disney to have such a visible corporate entity in the Magic Kingdom. On the other hand, Disney has long had corporate presences visible in the parks (Kodak, Chevrolet, GE, etc.), but none done so overtly. On the other hand, I also couldn't help but be disgusted by the fact that they had no Starbucks/Disney co-branded products that I could buy as a souvenir, which I would have gladly thrown down money to obtain. In the end, I think that's what bothers me the most - the fact that at that moment I was most bothered by the fact that I couldn't buy limited edition merch.
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