We Opened Magic Kingdom--Part 1

On our most recent trip to Walt Disney World we were picked to be the family that opened Magic Kingdom.  Yep, we got to be on the train station platform as we had seen other families times before, wave to the crowd, and countdown the opening of the park.

It was an honor, a privilege, something so incredibly magical that the memory will be emblazoned on us forever.  Here’s how it happened…

The day started with an armadillo sighting.  As we were walking to the bus stop that Tuesday morning, a gray mound shape creature was moving on the ground.  I thought it was a bunny, but as we got closer, the mound had a scale pattern and it scurried under a bush.  This was a sign that the rest of the day was going to be unusual.

Tuesday was our only day to be at Magic Kingdom for the opening.  We had already been to Magic Kingdom on Saturday evening and Monday evening with a possibility of coming back for a portion of the day later in the week, but this was going to be our only day to be at the park for rope drop.

We left the resort room a little ahead of schedule.  I was up before the wake-up call and rousted the boys out of bed when I got out of the shower.  Soon, we were dressed and out the door around 7:30ish for a 9:00 am opening.  The armadillo sighting happened on the way to the bus stop.

When we got to the Magic Kingdom, we headed left once past the bag search, found a spot near the gate and began visiting with a Cast Member.  Soon, she asked us to come with her.  We did.  We were escorted through the gates as our tickets went through the machine.  We were then seated on a bench near the left entrance tunnel.  At this point, I had an inkling of what was up and so did the boy.  But he kept himself in check.  The Cast Member stayed with us and told us stories about some of the other Cast Members working in the area and that soon we would be taken by another Cast Member—Barbara. 

In the meantime, we were given three Fastpasses—one for each of us—that could be used on any Fastpass attraction at the Magic Kingdom over the course of the next few days.  We snapped a picture.

And, had our picture taken in front of the emblem as other guests looked on, as the gates weren't open yet.

Soon Barbara joined us and we were whisked through the tunnel under the train station into Town Square and were asked to be seated on the red Fire Truck. Barbara was our driver and she was full of energy.  We rode down Main Street, U.S.A. horn honking until we met up with the Mayor.

Now, somewhere along the way, John, a Photopass Photographer joined us.  Maybe it was about the same time as we met the Mayor.  John asked us if we had a Photopass card—you bet I did and he asked if he could hold onto it for a while.  What’s our rule at Walt Disney World about what to say anytime a Cast Member asks you a question?  That’s right!  We say, “Yes.”  So, of course I gave John our Photopass card to hold on to. 

Barbara stopped the fire truck in the Hub in front of the Castle and we were told we had a few moments to take pictures in various locations.

We hammed it up in front of the Castle, in and out of the fire truck, and in the Rose Garden next to the Castle.  John was taking photos with his camera and Barbara had our camera to capture the memories for us.  We were smiling ear to ear!

Barbara told us we had to get back in the fire truck so we wouldn’t be late.  Horn honking, we rode back down Main Street, U.S.A. to the Train Station on Town Square. 

This whole time, Barbara was using an analogy of baking a cake and she said, “It was now time to take the cake out of the oven.”  We were ready!

Click here for the rest of the story:  Part 2,  Part 3,  and The Conclusion.