The second day of our trip was also our actual anniversary! Monday May 28th which was neat because we did also get married on a Monday 🙂
My big gift from Zach for my birthday was getting to do the Keys to the Kingdom Tour. It’s a behind the scenes tour at Magic Kingdom. I’ve been SO PUMPED for this experience and we booked it on our actual anniversary to make it extra-special 🙂
It’s so much easier rolling into the parks when you’re kid free haha! No strollers, coolers, a billion kid items. EASY!
Of course we had early park access with our entrance for the tour but the monorails were having issues and we had to wait AGES for a ferry and then that took FOREVER so we ended up not having such an “empty” Main Street after all!
The Keys to the Kingdom tour requires park admission plus the cost of the tour. It’s def something I can better justify now that we have annual passes. We arrived plenty early to check in and then were able to take lots of pics before starting our day 🙂
So official!!!
This pose felt MEGA awkward but it actually ended up being pretty cute and is a photo I don’t think I’ve ever gotten before!
But nothing can substitute the Main Street USA Castle pic! A MUST HAVE for me every visit. And really I could take a billion of them and never have enough 😉
I’m obsessed with our shirts – they are from Oh Yeah Apparel! (and are currently ON SALE!)
We were given a name tag at check in along with a pouch that had our listening devices. We were able to pre-order our lunch (which is included in the cost). We were also given a bottle of water.
This is a 5 hour walking tour so good shoes are a must. I knew we weren’t allowed to have cameras or phones so I had expected to have to put them in a locker or something but they totally let us carry them with us throughout the tour, we just weren’t allowed to use them in the restricted areas which no one in our group even seemed to be tempted to pull them out.
I totally forgot any chapstick or lip gloss or anything which yall know when you forget something like that then you NEED it and can’t stop thinking about it haha. I asked a cast member about where to find some but decided it wasn’t worth risking being late for the tour so I just didn’t worry about it. Omg yall he was SO SWEET and went and found some for me and gave it to me FOR FREE. Lifesaver! #DisneyMagic
So LEGIT!!!
I don’t want to give a lot away about the tour but will say your lunch is included, typically you also get to ride 2-3 rides with no wait (on our day it was Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion), and you DO get to go truly behind the scenes at Magic Kingdom.
I thought about Kye a lot on this tour. I think it’d be a super fun thing to do for each kid as they reached a milestone age. Like a right of passage type experience. “Now you are old enough to know the Disney Secrets” type thing 😉
People tend to think I have a lot of Disney knowledge. I don’t. I have a lot of hands on park knowledge. I know tips and tricks to navigate the parks. I know very little about dining. About staying on property. Or about any sort of Walt Disney or Disney World history.
I LOVED the tour. It gave me SO much knowledge that I didn’t know about and truly just made me love and appreciate Disney on a whole new level. I do NOT think it’s something to do when you’re visiting for the first time. Some base knowledge is needed to fully understand and appreciate it all. But it’s a fabulous experience for ANY Disney fan! Zach felt it was cool for a one time thing but I could def enjoy doing it again!
Some people say that tours like these ruin the magic of Disney, but I disagree and think it only enhances the magic to have a better understanding of how it’s all made possible. We spent a good chunk of time on the tour going behind the scenes. We got to see several floats up close and were also able to walk through Disney’s “underground” tunnel system.
There was a great mix of time for questions and lots of facts so I do wish I’d prepared a little more in advance to have questions on hand. Total teachers pet 😉
Zach snapped this of me on the tour…you know I was always right there up front 😉
Our lunch was at Pecos Bills! So fun to have that reserved VIP seating! It was also fun walking around as a group and getting to cut in line and such and have other guests look at us with envy haha!
Our souvenir! Each person received a Keys to the Kingdom pins!
While walking on our tour we had a special guest interrupt us!
Big Al!!!
It was such a neat moment as Brian, our guide, told us Big Al is actually his favorite character. We got a group photo and what made it even more special was when Brian told us our tour was his very last tour ever as he’s changing positions within the parks. He got a little emotional and I loved that Disney Magic of having his favorite character in a group shot with his last tour group!!! (and yes I made sure to get him a copy of it!).
We LOVED the tour (and yes, we’d just entered back into the park from that restricted access area behind us) and I highly recommend it!!! I just recently visited the parks again for the first time after this trip and was proud of how many of the facts I remembered 🙂
I found these shoes at the Roxy outlet (so random) for under $12! I was a tad nervous how they’d do with my foot issues but they were great!!!
We headed back to the room for that Club Level VIP Snack Time!
And more goodies!
I love ALL the hidden mickeys around the resort!
Something that was very important to me on this trip was to ENJOY the resort. When we were spending that much money to be on property I didn’t want to cram our days full and miss out on enjoying the perks of being there! We have passes to the parks and go regularly so I really just wanted to RELAX too.
Leading up to the trip we almost canceled. The weather had been AWFUL and was supposed to be TERRIBLE the whole time we were there but we really lucked out and had some great weather! We were so thankful to be able to go to the pool and swim and relax a bit. It was only for about 30 min or so before the rain came down but at least we got some time there and got to experience it!
Actual sand at the “beach” pool area!
All the pools had sand bottoms too!
We love a lazy river!
We ran up to the room when the downpour occurred. It was CRAZY.
And then 20 minutes later, BAM! It was BEAUTIFUL again!
Our evening plans had us heading back to Magic Kingdom! Another benefit of being kid free is riding the parking tram 😉 We always just walk when we have the kids because the double stroller is a beast and not worth all the effort loading up! We enjoyed the tram…and the breeze that came with it 🙂
HOME!!!
My shirt is from Groopdealz a couple years ago
Skirt is from Ali Express. I struggled because it was super see-through so thanks to everyone via IG Stories who helped me out with suggestions 😉 I ended up getting these white shorties and they worked perfectly!
People are always asking about my shoes for the parks. These flip flops are AMAZING. I had foot surgery back in 2012 and still have lingering foot issues and have to be super mindful of my footwear and am limited with what I can do. But I can wear these all day at the parks and be good to go!
Love the Incredibles overlay at Tomorrowland!
We got a couple fastpasses for the night but only ended up riding Buzz 🙂
I’m intense haha
My Hero!
So Zach often gets the high score for the ride and when you show a cast member a photo of your score they give you a Galactic Hero sticker! It’s a moment of PRIDE and HONOR.
As we were waiting to show his score and get the sticker this dad comes up with his two kids and tells us “you don’t have to show them, just tell them you want the sticker.” I looked at him with death eyes and said “DO NOT RUIN THIS FOR US” hahahaha I’m sorry but NO everyone shouldn’t just get a sticker! Just like we don’t think everyone should get a dang trophy! EARN IT.
Such a fun surprise to get off the ride and get to see a sweet friend! Loved getting to see Kelly!!!
I know I’ve had many people send me DM’s that they have been at Disney at the same time as us. Y’all LEGIT TELL ME. Even if we’re total strangers and you feel super weird about it. I’d LOVE to meet up!!! I think it’s super fun!
Kelly was a random stranger too back in the day then I spent the night at her house and now we’re real life friends haha I truly have so many online friends turned real friends and would love to meet others in real life who I’ve connected with online 🙂
Never too many castle pics 🙂 Especially when the photo pass person is so into it and creates their own little photoshoot haha! I always seek out the photo pass people who look bored because they are always down to make it FUN!
Zach was having an epically awesome hair day 🙂
Another part of the trip that Zach had planned on his own was dinner at Cinderella’s Royal Table. We’ve done breakfast many times with the kids but never dinner and I thought it was super romantic of him to plan it for us and so sweet b/c, duh, princesses 😉
I was secretly hoping the cast member would write “ears” instead of “years” #disneynerd
If you’ve never done Cinderella’s Royal Table (CRT) I totally and completely recommend it. Both the breakfast and dinner were AMAZING. We LOVED the food and nothing can top the atmosphere! It’s one of the most magical spots in all of Disney World in my opinion!
Can you find the hidden friends?
Waiting for our table!
Cinderella is the guaranteed princess every meal and you meet her before being seated at your table. I’ve really tried to learn to SLOW DOWN during character meet and greets. Enjoy the moment! Chat up the characters! Don’t feel rushed!
We were in quite a discussion haha
I asked her if she stays in her gown for cleaning the castle or if she changes back into her pre-princess wardrobe 😉
I feel like this deserves an epic caption haha!
A constant trend on our trip was arriving and being given a special table. I have no doubts that it has to do with the little bits of magic Carrie from Travel By Sisters! If you really want help in planning the perfect Disney trip you gotta give her a call as it’s a FREE service and really takes the stress out of the planning process 🙂
Best table in the house with a view!
And we loved getting to see some of the fireworks set up. We learned a few fireworks facts (Like Disney spends over $50,000 PER NIGHT on their fireworks shows) and watching some of the crew get set up was really neat!
Fancy goblet for my Fanta 😉
I loved every single thing I ordered!
It is a fix price menu and you have to pay in advance. But you get to select an appetizer, entree and dessert!
Zach wished he’d gotten my salad!
Steak and Shrimp was SO GOOD.
Our swords came in handy 😉
All children receive a wishing star and all girls receive a wand and boys receive a sword!
Our waiter was adorable and could NOT get over the fact that we had left our kids at home. He kept saying how we had to bring them back (which we are…in July for Tess’s birthday haha) and he felt so sorry for our kids that he brought out extra swords and wands for our crew back home 🙂
Princess time!!!
Snow White was GORGEOUS!!!
Aurora!
Ariel! Very tan Ariel ha!
She was so funny because I told her that my prince is a step up from Eric and she said “I’m glad you think that” bahahahah
Jasmine! I ADORE the newish outfit she wears. So much more conservative and comfortable looking too!
Jasmine is ALWAYS all about MY MAN.
None of the princesses are guaranteed but we’ve never gone and had it be anyone other than Snow White, Aurora, Ariel and Jasmine. I still never promise my girls that they will FOR SURE meet them and instead focus on Cinderella as she’s the ONLY guarantee!
Our waiter brought us a special cupcake along with our dessert in honor of our anniversary! And then he went a little picture crazy which yall know I loved 😉 He was so sweet! A great tip is to pay attention to Cast Member’s name tags. Zach and I are super extroverted so we naturally strike up conversations with people and seeing that our waiter was from Italy gave us an instant connection 🙂
Dessert! Mine was better than Zach’s yet again 😉
Love the walls in the castle, and rarely get to appreciate them as we’re typically going around the castle rather than through it!
So often people rush by and don’t take in the beauty of the BACK of the castle!
Had to get an ornament to remember our trip and picked wedding Mickey and Minnie 🙂
We had planned to just head out but thennnnn I remembered about the lantern pics and I’ve ALWAYS wanted to have them taken!
They are located at the Rapunzel bathrooms and the line is always long. We lucked out and had an awesome family in front of us in line who we’d totally be BFFS with if we could be hahaha. The mom and dad are even going on a trip just the two of them to the same exact resort where we went last year for our anniversary!
I hate that I don’t LOVE how these turned out but I’m still super happy to have had the experience!
We kinda look like we would creep into your house at night and murder you haha
Awesome bit of magic on our way out…fireworks in the background!!!
No prettier exit!
When we talked later about our trip we both agreed that our evening at Magic Kingdom was probably our favorite part of the trip. It was just very relaxed and we were both in great moods and focused on each other, our love and having FUN and it couldn’t have gone more perfectly. When Zach gifted me this trip the thing I was looking forward to the most was just the EXPERIENCE. Savoring the magic. Taking my time. Letting it all soak in together and that’s exactly what we did that evening. It was everything I’d hoped for and a memory that will always warm both of our hearts when we think back on it!
We came back to the room with our agenda for the next day! Such a nice touch 🙂
Wanting to experience Disney but also save money? And have more SPACE to really spread out and relax than the rooms on priority can allow? Be sure to check out our vacation rental home! It’s in Emerald Island Resort which is a short 10 min drive to the parks and has a private (as well as community) pool, hot tub, and even a game room! Plus we offer a discount to all blog readers 🙂
Want more of my Disney tips and tricks? Be sure to check out my Disney Board on Pinterest!
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I’ve loved reading all of your posts because I love all things Disney! My dream is to go to Disney for my honeymoon one day! Also, I LOVE Jasmine’s new outfit. I’ve always felt kinda funny because her outfit was so not conservative, so this is so much better!