Thursday, December 22nd (continued) 
So…..we left off the last entry with us standing and waiting for Holiday Wishes to begin. Even with the sold-out crowd, our late arrival to the hub, and the popularity of the fireworks show itself, we somehow secured that perfect viewing spot and shockingly didn’t feel as if we were mushed in between thousands of bodies. There was a comfortable distance between each family grouping, and the excited cacophony of voices of the crowd that preceded the show vanished into a hush of awe as the first bursts lit up the night sky.
A full-on view of the castle really is the best way to experience the Magic Kingdom fireworks
. I don’t think we ever really realized how much of a focal point that castle actually was for the show, and how the direct view of the front enhanced the overall experience. As the colours changed and the music played, we were both completely captivated with the sights and sounds of Wishes
.
I’m always a bit taken aback at the emotions that are stirred up by the fireworks presentations at the Magic Kingdom. It’s like you not only see them with your eyes, but feel them with your heart. This is Disney Magic at its very best.
I could have stood in that space and watched the sky
all night long. Absolutely a highlight of the night.
After Wishes concluded, we decided to head over to the Plaza ice cream parlour for a sweet treat. We didn’t feel badly about splurging a little since we hadn’t bothered to eat hardly any of the cookies and beverages that were offered complimentary to party guests.
Steve was more thirsty than hungry, so he opted for some sort of a float (which, due to a massive crowd surge that entered the small parlour
.....and the inconsiderate behavior of a scant few
……we didn’t managed to capture a photo of) but I opted for pure ice cream. After watching the staff prepare a variety of different standard sized cones and sundaes for the guests in line ahead of us, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to eat that much at the late hour. So, I opted for a “kiddie cone”, which would have been large enough for ANY adult I know. And, I’ll admit…….they had me at the chocolate Mickey ears
.
The cookies and cream ice cream was
divine 
. Steve was equally enamored with his float as well. We squeezed our way through the crush of Plaza patrons and made our way back outside. With the party hours slipping quickly away, we opted to head to Fantasyland to meet a few of the characters before the clock struck midnight
.
Our first stop was to say hello to Santa Goofy.
We were happy to find that his line was quite manageable: we had opted to skip most of the other character meet-and-greets that we encountered earlier in the evening as the lines were unbelievably long. Photopass photographers were there to capture the memories, and the CM’s with Goofy were great at keeping things moving along while not compromising the quality of the experience. I have to say, there are few things in life more special than a hug from a beloved childhood character
.
After Santa Goofy, we headed over to visit Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge. This line was noticeably longer but we were surrounded on both sides by very nice people, which made the wait pass much more pleasantly. The interaction was fun and it was neat to get pictures with one of the more rare characters that only makes an appearance during certain seasons and events. And hey, who can resist a high five from a duck wearing a top hat?
As the remaining time dwindled to mere minutes, we just took things as they came. Steve stopped for one last treat at Gaston’s Tavern (he rationalized that his Plaza snack was more of a ‘drink’ than ‘food’
):
….and we took in a few last rides, one of which was the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: for the first time in any of our visits to the Magic Kingdom, this ride (which for some reason ALWAYS seems to have a long line) was a walk-on
.
By the time we meandered back to Main Street, it was well after midnight. A gentle snowfall was backdropped by some gentle Christmas music, and it was the epitome of holiday cheer.
The massive Christmas tree sparkled in the night sky, a perfect festive centerpiece in Town Square.
We stopped for one final Photopass picture in front of the tree: there had been a massive line here when we arrived, but with the mass exodus from the park currently underway, at this late hour, we only had to wait behind one other family.
What a fun, festive, fabulous night it had been
.
We took a very empty ferry back to the Ticket and Transportation Center, hopped aboard a waiting tram to the Villains lot, and enjoyed a very uneventful drive back to the Grande Vista. I threw my hot-chocolate stained shirt into the laundry, and then we wearily sunk into bed. There are very few days that either one of us are voluntarily awake in the wee hours of the morning, and we were starting to feel those effects in a BIG way
.
The following day was expertly designed to give us a break from the parks…..but definitely not a break from the fun. The festive events would continue the next morning at Gaylord Palms, where we would take in their world-famous ICE! Exhibit. It would be the “coolest” attraction of the season, quite literally!
. I'm a terrible trip reporter. I'd like to say I've been holed up in a charming chateau on a mountain in Quebec, but I've been just.....inefficient. An update is coming though.....don't fall off your chair in shock
. Steve enjoys the ride SO much, I really do wish I could summon the courage to ride it with him just once, but I'm afraid I may have a heart attack in line just from the negative anticipation alone.
. We met some of the nicest people and had a ton of fun. Amazing fireworks, too!
. Unlike Seaworld (where Christmas is spread throughout the ENTIRE park, from decor to events to everything in between), other than the Voiceplay stage and a few holiday character meets, most everything else was pretty centralized. There just seemed to be more "life" to the Halloween party......the large number of guests in wonderful costumes, combined with the fun of the treat stations, probably has a lot to do with that. We had a fabulous time at the Christmas party, but definitely the Halloween party gets the nod as our clear favourite between the two. The only aspect of the party that we found to be truly lacking (the sole real let-down) was the quality of the beverages and cookies. Disney could have done SO much better on that score.
