Maddie Mouse : Through the Eyes of a Child

Even though Disney is fun for any age, there is nothing like seeing a little kid experience it for the first time; I got to watch this on Wednesday when my cousin, Julie came with her husband and their two daughters to visit for the first time. When the girls first caught a glimpse of Cinderella's Castle they were both excited, but in their own ways: the 4-year-old's face light up and spread into a giant smile as she squealed with delight, while the 3-year-old just looked all around her completely overwhelmed. Their happiness was so infectious, you couldn't help but smile with them. We then headed toward the castle but were stopped by the Move it, Shake it, Celebrate it parade, so we watched the end of it from a great spot! Once the parade was out of the way we continued on our way into the castle; unfortunately, because there was a stage show coming on shortly we couldn't walk all the way through. However, when we walked passed the Bippity Boppity Boutique in the castle I remembered that you can get "pixie dusted" (a "fairy godmother" sprinkles glitter in your hair) so I asked them to do the girls; only the 4-year-old was up for it, though.

Our first ride of the day was the Royal Carousel; it was a good choice since the line was pretty much nonexistent! From there we headed to Dumbo (which I have never ridden before); the wait was much longer than the carousel, but inside the queue there is a circus-themed play area for kids to be entertained while they wait. Was it worth the almost hour wait? Yes, if only to see the kids' sheer delight as they flew on the adorable elephant! When we arrived in the morning to the park, we had grabbed fast passes to meet the princesses at Town Square Theater (another thing I've never done!); after finished Dumbo it was about time to use them. Again, watching the girls as they saw their favorite characters was so, well, magical! They were so in awe! Next, it was time for an ice cream break...of course, it was Mickey Bars. We started heading back toward Adventureland for Aladdin's carpet ride and the parade before using our fast passes for Little Mermaid. The Little Mermaid Ride was an absolute hit....especially for Julie! The girls kept reminding us that "Ariel is mom's favorite". Tea Cups ride followed Little Mermaid and I felt like we were in the Disney commercials where they show the family laughing together in the spinning cups! It had been beautiful out the whole day thus far, but suddenly appeared like it was going to rain, so we decided to wind down and head into Mickey's Philharmagic, which is a 3-D attraction that showcases a few of the classic animated Disney movies and their songs. The 3-year-old's favorite is Lion King and unfortunately, there is little in Disney World that features Lion King; luckily, in the Philharmagic show, "I Just Can't Wait to be King" plays. Julie tapped me while it was playing and motioned to the 3-year-old who was singing along! Too cute! When we finished the show, it was time to call it a day and end on a good note. I think everyone had a great time (I know I sure did!) and it was so much fun to spend time in Disney with family who have never experienced it before (or at least in a long time).

Move it Shake it Celebrate it Parade