Days 3 & 4: Magic Kingdom Food, Parade Fun, & the Terrible Toe!

Day 3 - The next morning of our trip started with a lovely friction beginning on my right pinky toe due to getting my feet soaked at EPCOT during the evening rain previously. Luckily I brought a second pair of tennis shoes that were dry so I bandaged up my toe and headed out for an amazing day at Magic Kingdom.

The happiness the sight of this building hits you right in your heart.

Let's just say that my happiness was short lived because when we tried to scan our magic bands, it wouldn't let us in. After going to Guest Relations we were told that in the "fine print" of the Labor Day ticket deal we purchased, Magic Kingdom was not included. We would have to pay and additional $300 to be able to visit Magic Kingdom for the two days we had originally planned. I definitely have an angel for a husband because he didn't hesitate to hand them a card to put the extra charges on as I left the line and cried. I felt cheated and overwhelmed and guilty that I hadn't done a better job of checking the fine print.

I rarely take photos with characters but I LOVE the Country Bears!

DAS worked beautifully for me this visit. I didn't get overwhelmed except in one line but my pop-it keychain helped calm me. We had lunch at Columbia Harbor House and I was so hangry I forgot to take photos of my meal! I know, I know, my bad... I had my usual GF chicken fingers and fries. It was good just like always. There were several rides closed: Buzz Lightyear and Big Thunder Mountain were two of our favorites we sadly walked past the "Close due to Refurbishment" signs. We did get to ride TRON & it was a success for Andy. This was his first big coaster ride since his heart surgery and man was he happy that he was able to ride with me in the ADA car on the back with no stress. I really hope Disney makes more rides like this because it is currently on my top 3 out of all parks. Rain showed up once again and we were able to go to dinner a little early at Be Our Guest. We even got to sit in the coveted West Wing!!! It's spooky, the enchanted rose is there, and its "forbidden". Now I will say, this is not a place I will sit again due to my sensory issues. Every time the lightening and thunder boomed, I jumped. I ended up on edge the whole meal due to this. So if you have sensory issues, don't sit in that area. Overall, our meal was fantastic. This is one of the reasons why I enjoy eating at this restaurant, they NEVER disappoint. I give Be Our Guest a 5 out of 5 goats - 🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐

Once we finished dinner the rain had stopped so after riding a few more rides we went back to the hotel and crashed early to prep for another day at Magic Kingdom.

I loved the ambiance in the West Wing.

The details were great but the lightening did scare me alot.

This was so pretty! I loved the detail of having it set off on it's own.

We decided to have some drinks with dinner after a rough day.

We had soups as starters for our meal, both gluten free!

Pork chop and Beef were our choices for entrees. Both were gluten free!

This empty plate tells you how good my meal was!

Gluten free enchanted rose desert was a sweet ending to our meal.

Day 4 - Morning Struggles & Quiet Bathroom Spot

The friction bubble on my toe popped sometime during the night, thank you restless leg...NOT. My foot was in pain, but I wrapped up my toe, put on my sandals (pain was so bad I couldn't put my foot in a close toed shoe) and we headed to Magic Kingdom.

From the minute I stepped through the gates of Magic Kingdom, I just knew it was going to be a bad day. I was already overstimulated, hot, and my foot was killing me. Andy noticed this and decided that we were going to have to make some accommodations to our schedule or I was going to have a l was going to have a level 7 nuclear meltdown before 10 am. My sweet husband jumped into action and quickly discovered a quiet bathroom area near Pinocchio Village Haus—our new sanctuary for sensory breaks and shady sit down spot.

Andy found this perfect place to recover from sensory overload. It was a blessing!

Lunch & Corn Mousse

Again this day some rides were still closed in Magic Kingdom due to refurbishments, but we managed to ride a few favorites and even a ride we'd always skipped, The Hall of Presidents. Rain arrived around noon just as we stepped off the Peter Pan ride. We donned our dollar store ponchos and ran to Pecos Bill’s to have lunch. I say we ran but honestly I just hobbled like Quasimodo as quickly as I could behind Andy.

The fall decorations were so cute! I usually go at Christmastime so it was nice to see all the pumpkin Mickeys.

Once we got to the restaurant and found an empty table in the maze that they call a dining area, we placed a mobile order. After getting soaked in the rain we got cold quickly once inside. Andy ended up going to get our order because he's an Eagle Scout that never gets lost while I would have been worse off than Jennifer Connelly's character in Labyrinth! I perked up once I had hot chocolate in hand. I will say that we had always passed over Pecos Bill's before but man I'm glad we ate here for this trip! I had pork nachos and Andy ordered the chicken nachos. The chips stayed warm and crisp, no soggy corn triangles here folks. The queso wasn't so spicy it overpowered perfectly seasoned meat. And the odd corn shaped mousse dessert? It may look like a piece of street corn but it is actually a rich, creamy, white chocolate piece of heaven. It was quite a surprise that made your eyes question your taste buds. After getting soaked the meal helped us recover a bit and warmed us up. I give Pacos Bill's Tall Tale Cafe a 5 out of 5 goats - 🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐

These nachos hit the spot and gave me strength to push through the rest of the day.

This is a MUST eat desert! Looks weird but man is it good.

Nap & Resort Hopping

By the time we finished eating lunch, we we realized after a day and a half, we'd done everything we wanted to do…in the park! This made me feel like the second day at Magic Kingdom was unnecessary and I got cranky thinking about the extra money we spent. (This is a no-no in my book btw.... always roll with it and remember that you are there to have fun.) Heat, wet feet, toe agony + overstimulation = we made a spur of the moment call to hop on the monorail to visit the Grand Floridian, Polynesian, and Contemporary. While the Polynesian was pretty as always, the Grand Floridian is undergoing some construction and was underwhelming.

This is a view from the monorail platform of my nap area.

My view when sitting in the best nap spot.

Best Nap Ever! Man did I feel refreshed after my much needed nap.

The view was cool right outside the window next to where I napped.

At Contemporary, I found a cushioned spot at the far end of the main floor by the huge glass windows to sit and put my foot up while Andy re-bandaged my toe. The spot was so peaceful, quiet, and comfy with cold air conditioning that I ended up falling asleep. I don't suggest this to anyone unless they have someone from their group that is willing to stay awake and keep an eye out for them. Andy knew that the much needed nap would make not only the rest of my day better but the rest of his. Apparently I wasn't the only one because according to my husband, an exhausted mom walked up and sat in the chair in the row behind me to nap while her husband took her children on a walk through all the stores in the hotel. I also later found out that the two of us were making magical music with our snores apparently! I've already added it to my list of quiet/safe spaces to go to while at Disney. After a good hour I was ready to get up and do a little shopping myself before we left. Disney inclusivity win: there was mannequin in a wheelchair sporting some cute Disney threads in one of the stores!

Disney is so inclusive, I love it!

Dinner at Casey’s Corner, getting personal with the Hatbox ghost, and facing my parade fears.

We hopped back on the monorail rejuvenated so we decided to go back to Magic Kingdom for a few more hours. I was hungry after my much needed slumber so I tried something new and indulged in a gluten-free chili dog and chips at Casey's Corner (You have to ask at the register but here gluten free guests can get a gluten free bun!). Andy had a slaw dog and some fries. While Andy was waiting for our food, a cast member saw me limping around looking for somewhere to sit and he stopped what he was doing helped me by helping me find a quiet table in the corner. He cleaned it off really quickly and asked if I needed help getting my order. This type of customer service is why I love Disney! The hot dogs were perfect comfort food and with such awesome service from a cast member, I give Casy's Corner a 5 out of 5 goats - 🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐

Don't miss out on a killer chili dog on gluten free bun at Casey's Corner in Magic Kingdom!

We squeezed in more Haunted Mansion rides and finally stayed for the Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away parade— keep in mind, I do NOT like parades. Especially because of how crowded it can get which makes my neurodivergent brain scream with anxiety so I usually opt out of these. However, I am so glad I took the chance to watch this breathtaking parade and experienced a magical moment with a total stranger. Before the parade started, we noticed a mom and her son trying to find a place to sit where the little boy could see but wasn't crowed. I tapped her on the shoulder and said, "There's room over here we can scoot down so you both can sit together and see." With a shocked look she immediately asked if we were sure and went on to tell us that he is autistic and can be a handful. I let her know it wasn't a problem that I was neurodivergent as well and they were both welcome to the seats in front of us. I may hate parades but it was worth every minute seeing how happy the lights made this little boy. But the cherry on top was how relieved that his mom was that strangers were kind and understanding of her son. At one point the little boy even looked back and said to me, "Look Mickey waved at us!" That was the magical moment that made my vacation. All the issues we had to deal with just melted away. Honestly, that is the true magic of Disney... being kind and understanding with strangers in a place that was built to let the child in all of us have fun without the dangers of the real world creeping in. I will remember that little boy's smile until the day I die because the little kid in me that was always misunderstood felt like she had finally been seen and understood too. To that mom and little boy, wherever you are, thank you for being kind and understanding towards me too. I pray that God blesses you both always!

Coming up next: the Blister Chronicles & Going home

By the time we got back to the hotel, the open blister on my right pinky toe was raw and bleeding. But hey—Disney magic still made it a day to remember.

Stay tuned for my Day5 & last post about our Labor Day Weekend Disney trip: Breakfast at Steakhouse 71 and heading home, plus some final trip lessons I learned.

Ever experience the kindness of a stranger on a day that had just seemed to all go wrong? Tell me about it in the comments!