Disney Day 5

With a clean pair of underwear and some new found confidence after having survived The Tower of Terror (and two days at Disney world with four kids under the age of 6), we made the first of two forays into The Magic Kingdom. For the first time since we arrived in Florida, it felt really hot. As we wandered about exploring the park, I became lightheaded and woozy. Exhaustion from the car ride and the 16 hours spent in the Happiest Place in the World added to my condition. Luckily we sat down to eat lunch at what appeared to be a pirate-themed restaurant near the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. The cuisine was decidedly un-pirate however. But the tacos and Diet Coke restored my health well enough.

After lunch we went on the Pirates ride which of course had no chance of living up to the hype that was created by the new movie. Captain Jack Sparrow was a novel addition to the crew of pirates in the ride and Alex seemed to enjoy it. After that, we walked past the Hannibal/Tom Sawyer attraction (it really is a "small world after all!") and headed toward the roller coasters. We got fast passes for the runaway train ride and headed over to a kiddie coaster to get ourselves ready for the good one. We waited in line for 20 minutes only to be on Goofy's Barnstormer for all of 15 seconds. It only fueled my new found lust for thrills and adreneline that the "am I going to die" rides provide.

Using our fastpasses, we slipped right up to the front of the line for the Runaway Train. Alex and I sat in the front row. We were both nervous and excited. Within seconds of the ride starting, Alex slid down in his seat so he wouldn't have to see what was coming. I explained to him that he had to sit up lest he slide under the restraint bar and out of the train. He complied and realized at once how much fun roller coasters can be. As we descended the biggest hill at top speed, Alex yelled at the top of his lungs, "I was born for this!!!" This time when he asked if he could do it again I said yes and he rode with Mommy a second time.

After six or seven hours, the Magic Kingdom began to lose some magic, so we headed home. It was decided that we would take a day off from Disney and then return to the Kingdom on Thursday to see everything we ran out of time and energy for. Wednesday would be our chance to "go native" while in Florida. We would be visiting Gatorland and Cocoa Beach. Let's just say, kids and alligators mix a lot better than ocean waves and eyeglasses...