On Friday afternoon, hubby and I headed off to the Magic Kingdom, thanks to the ticket from the #runDisney Official Meetup. Not only were we there to experience the fantastic Christmas decorations, but I was excited to catch up with my good friend Karalea! Since the last time I had seen her, she and her hubs had had the most adorable son, Jacob – who I was SOOOO stoked to meet!
We met in front of the Main Street Bakery then decided to take a walk out to see if we could catch a peak at the New Fantasyland! We found a nice place to sit down and chat for a while which was so nice – Jacob was SOOO good and wow, what a friendly baby!
Since Jacob was being awesome AND we saw cast members allowing guests into the “not yet opened” area, we decided to take our chances and head over…and…SUCESS! We were able to not only check out all the beautiful new details, but we were also able to ride Ariel’s Undersea Adventure! The ride was so fun, but the best part was watching Jacob’s face…it was his very first ride!!
After checking out the ride, we HAD to see if Gaston’s Tavern was open, so we could have a sip of the newest signature drink in the MK – Le Fou’s Brew!
The drink is “frozen apple juice with a hint of toasted marshmallow topped with passion fruit-mango foam” – or, more simply put: DELICIOUS! I really enjoyed the taste and look forward to trying its sibling drink on the West Coast! And it didn’t hurt that I got to sip it out of a stein in Gaston’s chair! 🙂
After that Fantasyland fun, we part ways with Karalea (tons of hugs) and hubs and I rushed over to Frontierland to catch a quick ride on Big Thunder Mountain before the Christmas party started…then it was off to the Contemporary for a casual dinner at Contempo Cafe and the other main attraction of the evening: Top of the World Lounge!
The lounge was even more beautiful than pictures suggest – beautiful interior design and really nice furnishings, with great concept art touches…and who visits a lounge without ordering a fancy lounge drink?
The drinks were great and the people-watching opportunities were just as thrilling 🙂 Before long, it was time to head out onto the deck to catch the Holiday Wishes fireworks show! It was definitely a unique view 😀
We made it back to the resort by around 11 PM – and I definitely fell asleep the MOMENT my head hit the pillow! After all, I had a big day coming up: a 5K and half marathon!
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Are you an “on the go” vacationer or more of a relaxer?
Shiawase Life 
I’m so glad you got to see the New Fantasyland on this trip! I’m sure it will be a real madhouse once it “officially” opens to the public. 🙂 That baby is so cute, he looks like he wants your medal! Future #runDisney runner? LOL
Thanks, Michelle! New Fantasyland was SOOOOOO amazing. Can’t wait to see you in January!!!!!!!
I am more of an “on the go” vacationer. If I am spending the money and vacation days I want to see stuff. I was just telling my husband that I think it would be fun to go to Disneyland for a long weekend. 🙂
Tasha…you def should! Disneyland is so fun. I cannot wait to see the new Cars land!
You crammed a lot of fun into this weekend! I wish I’d had more time to play in the parks – I’m definitely an on the go vacationer, so trying to stay off my feet on Saturday was really hard.
Bari….right?!??! I was sitting at the hotel watching tv for a bit, but got antsy so I went to DTD and played Fix it Felix Jr at DisneyQuest! LOL!
It looks like you had a fun trip! I like a balance of both on vacation. Usually I’ll try to plan for a full day with no agenda to either do stuff I didnt know about when planning the trip, or just relax.
Thanks, Jory! I agree with balance! That’s why I love Cruise vacations, too!!
Sounds like you had a fun, busy trip! Depending on the location I’m both types of vacationer. If I’m at the beach I want to just relax, but somewhere like Disney, it’s GO GO GO.
Thanks, Steph…and yes…beach = reading and relaxing… 😀
Your day in MK looked so fun. Glad you got to meet up with your friend and her precious little boy. You guys really know how to enjoy your trips to the most magical place on earth!
Thanks, Pam! Isn’t he the sweetest?
So glad I got to see you and Christine! And thanks for the awesome goody bag, you are the best 😀
I am one of those people who wanna see and do everything. The beach is the only place where I will hang out all day lounging. You looked like you had so much fun!
It was CRAZY amounts of fun, Tanya, holy cow! I still find it hard to believe how much we packed in in just a few days 😀
I went with the traditional black and tan this time, but we also had an amazing bartender who introduced my family to lesser-known pub blends like the golden (half Stella Artois and half Bass) and the golden fox (half Boddingtons and half Bass). The bartender — who apparently has been working at the Rose & Crown for decades! — also challenged my dad and sister to various little tricks, like snapping a drink stirrer in half or catching a dollar bill before it fell to the countertop. It was a lovely little break in the afternoon, and I can’t wait to go back for my next pint.
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