It was an overcast day, with showers predicted. Perfect for keeping the crowds out of Magic Kingdom!

Magic Kingdom is where the famous Princess Castle on the Disney Logo is located. You can see it from wherever you are in the Park, and it is beautiful. Sadly you cannot go inside the castle itself (you'd think Disney would have at least made it a gift shop) but you pass through it to get to one of the older sections of the Park, Fantasyland, home of all things Princess.

Fantasyland is home to the ubiquitous "It's a Small World" ride, which has become a rather dated cliche, but is an experience we felt you HAD to have. Yes, the song is repetitive and relentlessly cheerful and it will stick in your head all day. Yes, the animatronics are kitch and retro, but that is part of their charm.

Also in Fantasyland is the Bibbidy Bobbidy Boo Boutique where little girls aged 3 - 12 can (for a fee) get Princess Makeovers. We didn't partake of the experience, although our younger Princess might have enjoyed it. It did bring a smile to my face whenever I saw a little Princess, complete with glitter hairspray and sometimes, a pink hairpiece, in the Park. Very cute.

We also made sure we revisited a few rides that we'd originally been on 6 years ago in Hong King Disneyland, such as the famous Tea Cups (Mad Tea Party) and the Pooh Bear ride. When Matty was three he found that ride terrifying. He had nightmares about Woozles and Heffalumps for months. This time, as a big, tough nine year old, the ride was a bit tame.

Next stop was Tomorrowland. I was actually feeling a little woozy after all the tea cup spinning, and sat out with Imogen while the others rode the Tomorrowland Speedway.

The big attraction in this theme park is Space Mountain - and again, Matty was keen to ride this with Paul while Joe and the girls got photos and autographs with Stitch (blue alien character from the movie Lilo and Stitch). Then there were rides we could all enjoy together - the Astro Orbiter, the Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin (again, we'd enjoyed this in Hong Kong), and my favourite, the Monster's Inc Laugh Floor. There is a lot of audience participation in this performance, and this time Paul had a turn in the spotlight!

It was raining by now, so we decided we might as well go to the next land, Frontier land, and have a turn on Splash Mountain. As the name suggests, you WILL get wet. Some of us wetter than others, but it was fun.

After a hearty lunch we were ready to go on to Adventureland, and went on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. This was less exciting than it sounded, but at least we could all ride. Next was the dated (and, in my opinion, lame, though the boys enjoyed it) Enchanted Tiki Room where we listened to animatronic birds and flowers sing a catchy number. So glad we were able to walk right in without having stood in line for 45 minutes!

Next we decided to hop on over to Liberty Square to visit The Haunted Mansion - but we got caught up in the Parade on the way. Not that we minded.

Somehow we came to the end of the day, and with one more ride on Splash mountain and Space Mountain, it was time to go home. It often takes families two or three days to explore this park- but thanks to the rain and low crowds, we did it all in one. We certainly did have a Magical day!