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My 16-month-old hugged every character we met (except Buzz, who isn't exactly cuddly, so who can blame him)

This blog is a part of a series on a recent trip my family took to Disney World.  You can click here for day one's review of Hollywood Studios.

We got up early again Day Two for our big trip to Magic Kingdom.  I have to admit, I had serious anxiety revolving around Magic Kingdom.  The last time we went, when my oldest was two, we drove over for the day from my parents' house in Florida.  We got there mid morning on a day the week of Thanksgiving, and well, you guys can guess how it went.  We went on one ride in several hours and I swore I'd never take my kids back there.  Plus, whenever I thought of "Disney World" growing up, the image of the Magic Kingdom Castle always came to mind - awe-inspiring, magical and untouchable.

So there was a lot to live up to in visiting Magic Kindgom with my kids and parents! 

I'm happy to report that the experience we recently had was like night and day to that last one.   For starters, we got there before the park opened.  Which was neat because they put on a little "Welcome to the Park" show before they let you in and it was fun to watch.  (Mickey and Friends arrive via train and say hello to the crowd.) 

Once in, we headed straight to Fantasyland - a great area for preschool rides.  We rode all sorts of lines with no wait, including the Flight of Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh and Dumbo.  Before lunch, we also visited Mickey's Toontown Fair (a cute area you can see Minnie and Mickey's Houses, ride a small roller coaster that's preschool friendly and meet some of the characters.)

We had another character lunch this day - this time at the Crystal Palace.  Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and Tigger all visited our table at various times.  And as I said in yesterday's review, we really liked this as it's a calm and non-threatening environment for the kids to meet their favorite friends. 

After lunch, we went to Tomorrowland, where my four year old became obsessed with a Buzz Lightyear Spin ride.  (You ride in a car and shoot at "Z" targets - Z being for the evil Zurg from the Toy Story movies)  As he loved it, Fast Pass came in handy.  We had 5 tickets so we kept getting fast passes so my four year old could ride it with each of us and he could get several rides out of it.  Interspersed throughout all of this, we had several meetings with favorite characters on the streets - Pooh, Darby and Tigger, Buzz Lightyear and Stitch.  The kids could not have been more excited.

We rode several more rides in the area before heading to the afternoon parade.  I have to say, I had no idea how incredible a parade could be.  The kids were enthralled as the floats and characters went by.  I can't imagine ever missing this parade in future visits.

We left around 4 - after the parade.  It was a long day for young kids.  And we only got to visit about 1/3 of the park.  Since we only had 3 days in Orlando, we weren't able to go back but next time I hope to block at least two days for Magic Kingdom for my kids - it's by far the best park for young kids.