I love writing these trip reports...we came back to the real world to a whole lot of work and bills...these trip reports are taking me back into the magic. Very therapeutic.

CAST:
DD - Zetta - up at 4 AM
DS - Sam - up at 7 AM introducing Duffy to all his other stuffed animals.
DW - Erin - sick again, but determined to finally get a Dole Whip.
Me - Happy to walk around POP with DD at 4 AM, because I'm in WDW.

So, Day 4 brings us our first full day of the Magic Kingdom. Sam was starting to be defiant about eating his meals, and abiding by our schedules, so DW and I foolishly declare that today, we put our sore feet down. While we love IASW and Buzz, they aren't the only rides in MK, and we want to make sure Sam (and DW and I) get to ride other things.

Oops.

So we eat our in-room breakfast of cereal bars, fiber bars, rice cakes and Nescafe, then head to MK. DD is dressed in her Tinkerbell costume that DW made. She's adorable. We arrive at 9:05, just after the Opening show (which I was determined to see again this year, as it brings back great memories). The plan is to meet princesses and Tinkerbell, and ride POTC (Sam's favorite ride last year, since he is a pirate, after all). Sam wants IASW. Convinced that we are doing the right thing, we pick up FPs to meet the Princesses, and proclaim that we will ride Jungle Cruise.

20 minutes later Sam and I board Jungle Cruise. No, the wait wasn't 20 minutes....the temper fit was. DW and I claim partial responsibility for this fit...we had spent all week letting Sam decide, and we chose today to enforce a schedule. He was tired, just got over being sick, and he's 4.

That said, he enjoyed Jungle Cruise, but did not want to ride it again...and even though I enjoyed the ride, and the skipper, I spent the rest of the day singing the Skipper Dan song by Weird Al (look everyone, the back side of water).

Anyway, we tell Sam that we're going to meet Tinkerbell and the Princesses, then we'll go to IASW. Pouty but victorious, he agrees. We wait about 5 minutes to meet the Fairies, and are more than a little surprised that Sam recognizes Periwinkle, Tinkerbell's new sister. We got some great pictures of Zetta with Tinkerbell (although several of the pictures look like Zetta is upset with TB for wearing the same outfit), and Sam went into great detail with Periwinkle about his illness. Great detail. This kid knows no strangers.

We sprint to the Princesses before our FPs expire (even though, as it turns out, the wait was only 10 minutes), and get some more fantastic pictures. Belle deserves special mention, because she was clearly taken with Sam. When he introduced himself as Captain Sam, she asked if she could join the crew. He said "of course". Then she asked if she'd have to swab the deck, and Sam loudly proclaimed that he already had someone swabbing the deck. Belle asked if she could tell stories to the crew, and Sam loudly protested that telling stories is mommy's job. Finally, Sam agreed to let her join his crew as a treasure hunter. I think if there weren't so many cameras around, Belle would have stolen our son.

So, on to IASW. Twice. We convince Sam to ride Peter Pan, and he squeals with delight at the sight of Captain Hook. As we're exiting, he tells the people in line that "it's okay...Peter Pan saves the day at the end". Best kid ever. The fit has passed, and now he's up for whatever we suggest.

We get to Philharmagic just as the show is about to start, and get to sit in the middle of the row! Sam has watched this video on YouTube ad nauseum, and is very excited to see it in person. Zetta just sits and flaps her arms.

It is finally lunch time. And finally Columbia Harbour House time. Fish & Chips with the Apple Crisp for me (there are no words to describe how happy this entire meal made me), Lighthouse Sandwich with Chocolate cake for DW (she claims this to be the best sandwich she's ever had), and chicken nuggets for DS (he had no superlatives for his meal, but devoured it none-the-less). We eat upstairs (of course), and have the entire floor to ourselves.

At last, Sam is ready for POTC. For some reason, he's decided that it is scary, even though it's always been his favorite ride. The entire family walks right on (again, September is awesome) and Sam and Zetta both grin ear to ear the entire time (one little tidbit about my son...I sing him A Pirate's Life for Me at bedtime...every night for two years). He sings along, much to the delight of the other passengers. I don't mean to say that I have the best kids....but they're pretty darn great.

DW wants to ride Haunted Mansion, but DS is very much opposed. So we walk past and see a 20 minute wait. Longer than the wait for Space Mountain. Weird. So we head over to POTC again (there may have been another "Happiest Cruise That Ever Sailed", but at this point IASW has become a blur). DD is hungry, and Sam wants to "have a rest", so while the family sits in Pecos Bills, I sprint over to get our first Dole Whip of the trip. I forgot how far apart these two things were. I return to Pecos Bills with Dole Whip soup. But it's still delicious. We ask Sam what he wants to do......

Having decided that the water fall in POTC is easy, Sam decides it's time for him to tackle Splash Mountain. This is a big deal. Especially after his Barnstormer experience. We get FPs and the Baby Swap pass, and head over to the Frontierland Shootin' Arcade. Sam fires twice and is over it. But, just like that, it's time for SplMtn FPs! DS and I ride (it is well known in my family that this is my absolute favorite ride). He handles it like a champ! He loves "Pear Rabbit" and "Pear Fox" and "Pear Bear", and doesn't flinch at the big drop at the end. Unfortunately, the ride stops before the showboat scene, and our log comes to rest right next to that part where the water comes splashing down the side of the facade...we spend 3 or 4 minutes getting splashed on. This, Sam decides, is reason enough not to ride this ever again. We go to the gift shop where DW and DD are waiting, and DW finds a couple on their honeymoon and takes them on with her Baby Swap pass. This is Erin's favorite thing to do...even if we don't plan on riding any rides, she gets FPs so that she can give them away.

For his bravery, Sam gets a couple of Disney Racers...and yes, I got them because I think they're really cool, and I wanted to play with them too.

Believe it or not, we've done all this by 2:00 PM, and we head back to POP for a nap. Well, that was the plan. DW and DD stayed in the room and rested, while DS and I went to the POP arcade and stepped on aliens (it's a very fun game that DS couldn't get enough of). Also, the arcade has massage chairs. Whoever decided to put them there....thank you.

Rejuvenated and re-caffeinated, we get back to MK by about 5 PM. On our way in, we catch the Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It parade...our friend Nicholas is in this parade, so he ran up to us and gave us hugs before running back into place. Nicholas was born to be a CM, and he's loving his life. It was great to see him.

Then it's time for the Sam Cycle again. Two trips on IASW, two trips on Buzz. We wandered through Storybook Circus (with another ride on Dumbo for DS and me) to get to Buzz, and down the "secret" pathway between SC and Tomorrowland. They had it all decorated for the MNSSHP. It was cute, but we still couldn't justify spending nearly $200 for us to attend the party.

After Buzz, we're finally hungry again, so we head over to Cosmic Ray's. Burger and fries for all! Midway through his burger, DS falls asleep. We have a great future blackmail picture of him with a half-eaten cheeseburger, falling asleep in his chair.

Our plan is to ride the Peoplemover, then head over to Fantasyland to grab our favorite parade viewing spot. When we finally get to our spot, DS and DD are asleep in their strollers. I head through the breezeway into Adventureland to get a Citrus Swirl and an Orange Bird cup (can't stop singing that Orange Bird song now). While I'm paying for my Citrus Swirl, the CM looks at me, and asks me if I'd ever done plays in Richmond, VA...he recognized me from a play I did 15 years ago...made me feel pretty good knowing I haven't aged that much!

When I return, I find that DS has demanded a lollipop (a tradition started by my father when DS was 2). When he gets the lollipop, it falls to the ground. A collective gasp was heard from all the onlookers, and within seconds I'm headed over to the candy store to get a replacement. The parade starts as soon as I get back.....and the tallest family in the world steps right in front of our kids. We ask them to move, and they refuse. So I put DS on my shoulders, and we sit on the fence, so at least he can see well. By the end of the parade, I had no feeling in my shoulders and neck. But DS enjoyed it, so that's what matters.

On our way out, we are pleased to discover that both our kids like fireworks now...something we'll have to remember for our final day in the Magic Kingdom.

Yet again, we arrive in our room with two sleeping kids. DW falls right to sleep too...but for some reason, I can't sleep. So one more at Petals, and a conversation with a complete stranger about how her daughter keeps asking CMs out on dates during their vacation.

Anyway, when I get back to the room, DS and DW have crawled into the same bed along with the 5 stuffed animals and 3 Disney Racers Sam has accumulated this trip. It was a great, great day!

Up next, the Studios!