While Julie got the kids up and around, I ran to the food court and filled their mugs with hot chocolate, which they drank along with some pop tarts we had packed. My breakfast was the unopened grapes and apples that came with one of their meals the previous day. By 7:00, we were at the bus stop waiting for the Magic Kingdom bus. Strangely, the bus that picked us up was not marked as a Disney bus, but the driver said it was the right one. Also puzzling, it dropped us off at the Transportation and Ticketing Center rather than the front of MK. I wondered if we were supposed to take a monorail, but then I saw a couple of CMs waving us toward another bus stop, where we ended up taking another bus (an actual Disney bus this time) to MK’s entrance. We encountered another friendly, pleasant bag check man. We then located the CM on the far left who was receiving people with early dining reservations. We told her we had an 8:15 BBB appointment. Since the park opened at 8:00 that day (a recent change) she probably didn’t have to let us in early, but she did anyway. I led my group straight to the castle, which loomed ahead in the fog. Quite a sight. Too bad we didn’t have more time to enjoy it at the moment.
When we arrived at BBB, we were greeted by the smiling Fairy Godmothers in Training. We gave them our name, and they proceeded to lavish warm welcomes on Princess Jacqueline, asking which kingdom we represent. Texas – “That’s a big kingdom!” I took a quick look at the sample dresses hanging nearby and was thrilled to see an Elsa dress, which I knew would be her choice. I thought I had read on the disboards that Elsa was not among the choices, but sometimes it’s good to be wrong. I gave the FGMIT Jacqueline’s comb and brush (which she got for Christmas just for this occasion) and they took her back to get changed. Jordan and I stepped outside so that I could get a few pictures and videos before the street started filling up. Then I went back inside to watch the transformation. Stephanie (from Illinois) was busily working with Jacqueline’s hair while chatting happily with her, frequently calling her “beautiful.” The main topic was – not surprisingly – Disney princesses. Stephanie mentioned Rapunzel and her friend Pascal. Jacqueline said that Pascal was bad because he tried to marry Belle and kill the beast. Stephanie sweetly cleared up the misunderstanding. At last, she was finished. The park was full of Elsas, but Jacqueline was the only one with pink extensions in her hair – her choice. I was glad she put some kind of personal touch on her look.
We had a later fastpass to meet Cinderella and Rapunzel, but the standby wait was only 10 minutes (or so the sign said) so we got in line, which seemed to be moving awfully slow. Then Jacqueline insisted that she didn’t want to meet these princesses. She wanted to ride the Seven Dwarves Mine Train. So we got out of line and went to see what the standby time was for 7DMT. 90 minutes. But everyone seemed game to wait, so we got in line. There had been no fastpasses available for it. But the wait really wasn’t worse than what I was used to at Six Flags on their really big rides. The kids liked playing the little electronic jewel games in the inside part of the queue. The ride itself, when we finally got on it, was much better than I expected. It was short, as I had been told often, but it was a properly thrilling coaster mixed with an excellent display of some of Disney’s best animatronics. Julie, braving the ride in spite of her Meniere’s disease, enjoyed it as well, as did the kids. I liked the part at the end that showed all the dwarves dancing with Snow White inside the house.
Next came a quick spin in the famous teacups. We saw Alice and the March Hare posing for pictures, but here’s a bit of advice: If you see a character meet spot with a short line, there’s probably a reason. Closed. Ya learn the hard way. Also, it was the White Rabbit, not the March Hare. Not the same bunny at all. Wonderland is one of my weaker areas of Disney knowledge.
