>Gettin’ ‘Round the Magic Kingdom

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Years ago I was in Walt Disney World in early December. The one day that we were there we went to the Magic Kingdom. As we walked in, there was a sign stating that the Disney Christmas Parade was being filmed that day. It was an exciting thing to be able to see, but the problem that we had was that the person I was with had called out of work, to go on a Disney Quickie (a three day Disney vacation). So, the problem we had was that we needed to get around the Magic Kingdom without taking the main thoroughfares. On that day, I found so many great ways to get around the Magic Kingdom. So, today I present Unknown Magics that are for the first timers and novice Magic Kingdom visitors, but that can also help you Magic Kingdom veterans too. These Magics are some Tips for Getting around the Magic Kingdom.

The first tips I have for you, are for getting up Main Street USA. These tips can be used when the crowds are blocking Main Street USA for a Parade or during the fireworks. They can also be used early in the morning when the gates have first opened and you are in Disney Commando mode (A Disney Commando is someone that rushes through the parks instead of enjoying the little things that Disney has to offer). If Main Street USA is packed with people, the best thing to do is to go indoors. Both sides of the street have stores that are connected to each other. If you enter the Main Street Emporium, you can walk all the way to the end of the street and come out behind Casey’s Corner, almost in front of the Crystal Palace, which faces Cinderella castle. On the other side of the street if you enter at the candy shop, you have to come out at the cross road of a back alley, which is halfway down the block, but then you can continue walking inside once you cross the alleyway. Again this will take you all the way down to the end of Main Street USA. And when you come out, it will give you a great view of the castle. If you have your camera, take a moment to get a picture of Cinderella Castle from this angle. It is an especially great shot and a Magical Experience.

If you aren’t going to be taking a picture of the Castle or watch a show in front of it, you really may not need to go all the way up to the castle itself. If this is the case, you can use the paths that lead to Tomorrowland and Adventureland. Depending on which side of the street you are on, you can go to either Tomorrowland or Adventureland, because of the path that you are standing on after you come out of the shops. If you are on the side of the street with the Crystal Palace, you can take this walk-way to Adventureland. It actually merges into the Main hub path immediately before the Adventureland Bridge. On the other side of the road,

the path leads you past the Plaza Restaurant and the Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station (this is also a great place to watch the Fireworks, because Tinker Bell Flies right toward you during the show).

Once you are in Adventureland, there is a quick way to get to get to Frontierland without walking all the way around the Pirates of the Caribbean and coming to the crossover from Adventureland to Frontierland. The quick way is actually a shared “common area” if you will, that houses restrooms that you can get to from both areas. It is near the exit of the Pirates of the Caribbean and the Frontierland Shooting Gallery. There is also another quick walk-through for these two areas that goes from the Country Bear Jamboree and the Magic Carpets of Aladdin.

But the quick ways to get around the Magic Kingdom in Frontierland are not just for going back and forth to Adventureland. There is actually a quick way to get from the change-over between Liberty Square and Frontierland to the Splash Mountain/Big Thunder Railroad area. This quick path is right along the Rivers of America (where the River Boat is) and it is a path that looks like a wooden bridge. It hugs the waterline and then has a spot where you can go to the middle of Frontierland or you can stay on the path and you will end up over near Tom Sawyer Island.

When you are in Liberty Square, there is a cut-through to get to the front of the castle. This is a quick way to get back to Main Street USA instead of going into Fantasyland and walking through the castle. From in front of the castle on this path, if you turn to your right there is another little path that will lead you up to the side of the castle and you can get into Fantasyland from there. This path actually leads you to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in the courtyard behind the castle. On the other side of the castle, there is another one of these paths that leads to the main Hub entrance to

Tomorrowland. This path will take you past the Cinderella Wishing Well and the new meet and greet area for the Tangled characters. If you take the time to use this path, it can lead to Magical Experiences for you.

If you want to get around the parks and you aren’t in a rush, but you want to get out of the crowds on the main walk-ways, a great and relaxing way to make your way from Frontierland to Tomorrowland or from Main Street USA to either of these places, you can take the train. The Walt Disney World Railroad is a Magical Experience in itself, but it is also a great way to travel around the magic Kingdom.

So, now you know, there are some quick ways to get around the Magic Kingdom. To find them, you need to be observant and not follow the crowd. These paths will not only help you to get around quicker, but can lead you to Magical Experiences along the way.

>Blue Roofs against the White Stone Building

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We leave for Walt Disney World in less than three days. Not that I’m excited or counting down or anything. Actually from what I have recently read on thedisneydrivenlife.com “As soon as the reservations are made, a Disney vacation countdown of some sort is required.” This is principle number five of DISNEY DRIVEN LIFE PRINCIPLES. There is a list of 25 Principles for the Disney Driven Life. The Blog itself is a pretty neat site.

Anyway, I’m excited for many reasons, one because I will be able to find more Unknown Magics to share, so that you can have more Magical Experiences, but the other is that, I’m Going to Disney World! I still get excited every time we go. I get excited about the fact that we’re going to be there, I get excited when I think about the Parks and the Attractions that I love, and I think about the things we’ve down in the past. I also look forward to new things that we haven’t done or seen. But the one thing I get goose bumps about every time I go, is today’s Unknown Magic.

This Unknown Magic is not the first thing I have to do when I get to Walt Disney World. It doesn’t matter to me when I experience this. I just have to within the first couple of days. It doesn’t have to be in the Daylight or at Night specifically. Some people say they have to do this to know they are in Disney World, I don’t. It doesn’t represent my arrival at the Happiest Place on Earth and it doesn’t really represent anything for me. It just leaves me with a feeling of Awe and Wonder, and Magic. Today’s Unknown Magic is The first view of Cinderella Castle.

Many of you might not understand. But some of you might, you may have dreamed of going to Walt Disney World as a child and you just weren’t able to and now as an adult, you are finally getting there. So, maybe you are all ready excited about seeing the Castle, and the Magic Kingdom for the first time. But you don’t know the feeling yet. You’ll feel it. A lot of people do.(Some of us still get the feeling every time we enter the Magic Kingdom). Sometimes people miss it though, because of the commotion of Main Street or the crowds. Or they are just in a rush to get to one of the attractions. But if it is your first time going to Disney World, you need to follow the advice I have given many times, look around, take your time and Don’t be a Disney Commando. I don’t believe Disney Commandos have the chance to experience today’s Unknown Magic, because to understand it, you have to let it overtake you, not run over it.

Everyone has seen pictures of Cinderella Castle. If you go to Google Images, and type in Cinderella Castle you will get 505,000 results (if you spell it Cinderella’s Castle you will get 522,000). But looking at a picture isn’t the same. As you get to the Magic Kingdom, the anticipation grows. You leave the Monorail, the Boat or Bus behind and you walk through the turnstiles. You walk under the Main Street Railroad Station, and come out onto Main Street USA. Here is where you need to go slowly. As you walk out of the train Station, you will see the Castle in its entirety for the first time (You can see the castle from the outside of the park and even from the Polynesian Resort, but not fully). From the ground up you can see everything. It is perfectly framed by the buildings on Main Street, so that this is where you have to look. With it being Florida, many times the Sky above the Castle is Blue, and perfect. It is a beautiful sight.

 If you look at the Castle as the symbol of Walt Disney World you can feel the Magic of where you are. If you’re like me as you see Cinderella Castle, you are over taken with the feeling of amazement; with a feeling that Walt Disney had his people build this Castle, as a monument to Magic and to Love and Childhood and Family and all that is good in the world. And it over takes you. It’s like the feeling you get on Christmas morning when you give the Perfect Present. The feeling you get when someone says they Love You for the first time.

It is a very Magical Experience, but one that can only be had if you don’t rush it. You can only feel this way, if you take your time and see Cinderella Castle, not just look at it, but see the beauty of it, the Blue Roofs against the White Stone Building. The Golden Spire rising high into the air. The Arched Entrance that leads into Fantasyland.

 The Magic that comes from the view from the Top of the Main Street Train Station, looking down the street at the Castle is awe inspiring; and to see Cinderella Castle at night is even more amazing. The Castle changes colors every few minutes. And it is really a spectacle to behold. And of course when the fireworks are going off above it, it’s Magical. They light up the Castle on special occasions in neat ways also. For example, around Christmas there are Snowflakes coloring it. In the night the Castle is amazing, it is really something to see.

So, now you know, one of the Unknown Magics in Walt Disney World is one that is looked at all the time, but you need to take the time to See It, to have the Magical Experience. So, slow down and take a look at Cinderella Castle.