Expanding the Magic

This winter we’re staying at Lake Magic RV Resort in Clermont, FL, a place we’ve stayed at in the past partly because of its relatively close proximity to Disney World.  Our site is located towards the back and relatively quiet away from the front entrance but not a far walk from the clubhouse.  We even have wildlife here...sandhill cranes, garter snakes, and lizards galore, like these two that got into a little sparring match on the picnic table!   Now that the refrigerator issue was resolved, we could finally put up our Christmas decorations.  No, Abby, isn’t part of the décor, she’s just curious as to what I’m doing. J

A few days after we arrived, we headed over to Magic Kingdom late one afternoon to pick up our annual passes.  Of course the place was all decked out in its Christmas best, toy soldiers and candy canes greeting us as we entered.

 

     Walt Disney World is always evolving to make it the best experience for everyone who enters its gates.  The newest change is Fantasyland, the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom history that doubles the size of the

   original Fantasyland.  It’s divided into different themed areas, the first of which we entered being Storybook Circus complete with colorful circus tents and Disney characters including an expanded Dumbo ride.   In the Big Top Souvenirs shop cast members were
     busy decorating caramel apples like Mickey Mouse to be added to the yummy display case.  We enjoyed walking around, checking out the sites but didn’t board any of the rides.
 

 

   From there we walked towards the Enchanted Forest which is inspired by The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast.  There’s a ride called Under the Sea-Journey of the Little Mermaid, which tells Ariel's story through song while you ride in a giant clamshell.  Of course, it’s mainly geared towards
  little kids and is already a very popular ride requiring us to get a Fastpass, but we enjoyed the relaxed journey under the sea.  Situated on top of a mountain (aka Magic Kingdom’s newest restaurant, Be Our Guest) sits the Beast’s Castle, a true study in the art of forced perspective. There are a couple other places in this area that we decided to check out at another time.

 

The Fantasyland expansion will continue over the next couple of years with the addition of the Princess Fairytale Hall opening in 2013 and the Seven Dwarfs Mine opening in 2014.

We ventured over for a ride on It’s A Small World and marveled at the beauty of Cinderella’s Castle as we made our way to the park’s exit.  We managed to catch the monorail to Epcot in time to watch the fireworks, Illuminations: Reflections of Earth before heading home.  Just another

magical day in the happiest place on earth.