Florida Vacation - Day 4

Swimming, Disney Springs and the return to Magic Kingdom

This was the day that we were going to return to the Magic Kingdom and planned to be there until closing.  So we had a more relaxing morning at the hotel which was much needed for everyone.  I took the kids to one of the outdoor pools while Matt got a little extra rest/sleep.  It was nice for them to only have a couple of other people in the pool that morning.   We could see the pool area from our room and knew that with the hot weather the pools could get very crowded.

Cute little guy!

Before we headed back to Magic Kingdom we made our way to Disney Springs.   This was not a stop in our original plans but we added it so Maxwell could build his light saber.   We made an early lunch reservation at House of Blues and set out for our day.  We didn't really need the early lunch reservation since the restaurant opened at the time of our reservation but we got a booth and it seemed like people with were first to get those and the rest got tables in the middle.  I had the most delicious Mahi Mahi sandwich!  We then went shopping for a while.  The kids picked out tshirts and I snuck a cool stormtrooper shirt in the bag for Matt and Maxwell made his Darth Maul lightsaber.  Then it was off to Magic Kingdom.

We had promised Kaylee the afternoon parade and we found a place for them to stand higher than most of the crowds.  We weren't in the front row but the kids could see all of the floats and it was nice to not be squished in between people.

Enjoying an ice cream treat after the parade!  The ice cream melted faster than we could eat it!

We let Kaylee plan the majority of our day as she was feeling a little overwhelmed the other days by the big rides.  We still went on Seven Dwarfs Mine ride which is no yawn of a ride but most of the day was spent on tame rides.  We all still had a great time!  It was fun to get some new rides that we had not been on at Disneyland in California and she even braved Big Thunder Mountain this time.   We did repeat a couple of favorites from Disneyland:  The Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Waiting for our fast pass time at Under the Sea

Taking the train across the park

After grabbing a late dinner we started to scope out the perfect spot for the night shows.  I talked to a staff person about some recommendations in the area that we were waiting.  I was told that we didn't have the best view for the Main Street Electrical Parade but it was almost perfect for the show on the castle and the fireworks.   We all agreed that the later was the most important view.

Before we arrived at Magic Kingdom one of my personal must have's was the giant cinnamon roll from Gaston's Tavern.  The same friend who recommended the pizza place at Epcot sent me a picture of the cinnamon roll.  I know that there is a reason we are friends!  ;)  (And for the record, she happens to be my favorite yoga instructor and one of my best workout accountability friends..we just happen to share some favorites in the food area also!)   Matt and Kaylee held our fireworks spots while Maxwell & I made our way to Gaston's Tavern to get the cinnamon roll.  This was not an easy task as most paths we tried to take were closing or closed for the upcoming parade and night show.  I finally got my cinnamon and we made our way back.  I was getting a bit concerned we would be late.   Maxwell kept reassuring me that we were fine!  :)

Nights at Disney World are beautiful!

The night show was starting.  Pictures just do not do any of the night shows at Disney justice (at least not with our cameras).  The castle looked amazing all lit up as we waited for the parade to start.  

You can see the top of the one of the floats for the Main St Electrical Parade.   Its hard to tell in this picture but did we have a decent view of that also.

A few selfies while we waited for fireworks...

my crazy eyes have returned

The parade, the lights, the show on the castle, the fireworks....just amazing!   We didn't attempt many pictures because we knew they wouldn't turn out (nor do it justice) but also because we didn't want live behind our cameras.   We wanted to be in the moment.  I would watch the kids and their faces were just absolutely priceless.  The pure excitement, happiness, wonder, and amazement they were feeling was worth every second of chaos, irritation, and heat exhaustion we may have felt throughout the last few days.  

 It really was magical!  

Good bye Disney World!