Disney's Magic Kingdom

Day 4 of our major Disney park tour. We saved the oldest and best for last. We walked in to see the fireworks the night we bought our annual passes, but we didn't see much more than Main Street, U.S.A.

We got a bit of a late start. Andrew needed to finish his homework before we could leave the condo. By the time we got in the car, it was time to eat again, so I decided to stop at the McDonald's outside the park. Turns out that their meals were about the same price as those in the park, so we skipped it and headed for the Transportation and Ticket Center to park. From there, we caught the express monorail to the Magic Kingdom.

We started our day by catching the Walt Disney World Railroad. This authentic steam powered train pulled us around the entire park. We eventually got off the train at Frontierland. Here we rode two great rides - Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Then we crossed the river to Tom Sawyer Island.

Tom Sawyer Island was fantastic. Andrew had a great time running around the island, exploring the many trails. At the fort, he shot a fake rifle at the roller coaster on Thunder Mountain and the passing Liberty Square Riverboat; a large steam paddle wheel boat. He was bit afraid of Tom Sawyer's cave, but eventually came to enjoy running through it.

After a quick taco salad lunch, we ventured into Adventureland. Here we rode The Magic Carpets of Aladdin and climbed the Swiss Family Treehouse. I wanted to ride the Pirates of the Caribbean and the Jungle Cruise, but Andrew was ready to try out Space Mountain.

So off we went to Tomorrowland. On the way, we stopped in front of Cinderella's Castle to take some pictures. Then we rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. We wanted to ride the Astro Orbiter, but the line was not moving. Then we rode Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.

Finally it was time for Space Mountain. Andrew was a little nervous, as one would expect, but he wanted to go anyway. The line was only 10 minutes, so in we went. The ride was as herky-jerky quirky as I remembered, with turns and quick drops coming unexpectedly. Andrew loved it!

Next came the Tomorrowland Speedway. Susan and Andrew drove one car and I drove separately. When we got out of the cars, Andrew started saying how much he did not like that ride and that he would never ride it again, unless he could drive alone. He was upset that he couldn't push the pedal and that you don't need to steer; therefore there's nothing to do but sit there.

By now, the sun was set and the park was beginning to shut down. We quickly walked to Mickey's Toontown Fair and rode The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm. Then it was back to Space Mountain for one last ride.

We were told earlier that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is great after dark, so we wanted to ride it one more time. Unfortunately, it is on the opposite side of the park and the Main Street Electrical Parade was about to begin. We quickly weaved through the crowds and were soon back in Frontierland. The recommendation was correct; we had a great time.

We were all pretty hungry, but the crowd was impenetrable. There was no way to find an open restaurant. Andrew had a great idea. He suggested we ride the train! This allowed us to get all the way back to the main gate without fighting through the crowd. Turns out we caught the next to last train for the evening. Once outside, we caught the monorail to Disney's Polynesian Resort for a snack and to view the fireworks.

In the end, Andrew's favorite ride was actually three: Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Space Mountain.