The last night of our family vacation was finally upon us. It was a fantastic trip with a few hiccups along the way, that I honestly could’ve done without, but also some great memories that we’ll never forget. Every time my husband and I, and now my daughter too, take an adventure somewhere I realize just how much I love my family. They truly are my world and my reason for being and I wouldn’t have it any other way. This week was another incredible adventure for our family, filled with lots of smiles and laughs and a few tears along the way (from mommy and baby). My little girl is growing so quickly and just seeing this little 1 year old baby truly love her Disney family as much as she does is amazing. So I couldn’t think of a better way to end this trip than to say hello one last time to a few of her favorites at Cinderella’s Castle.
After an afternoon of swimming and relaxation, our little one was dressed in her Snow White outfit and ready to dine with some of her favorite princesses. We arrived a bit early for our reservation but they were incredibly accommodating and were able to seat us within a few minutes, which was great because we were all very very hungry after an early lunch that day. Cinderella was out to tea when we entered the castle so we were seated first and met the rest of the princesses while we dined. Literally as we were sitting down Snow White, my little one’s favorite, approached and couldn’t get over the miniature Snow White that was walking towards her waving and smiling. My little girl embraced Snow White with a huge hug and turned back with a big smile and wave at her mommy, a moment that just makes me tear up thinking about. Each princess that followed was equally as exciting and I think was the icing on my little girl’s trip.
Between all of our visitors, the chef came out to review the menu with me. I decided to order the cheese plate for an appetizer, the steak for my main course, and a cookie sundae for dessert. I was a bad blogger again this dinner, but in the midst of the princesses stopping by I forgot to photograph the dishes that came out. But anyway, the cheese plate arrived with a blue cheese, a brie cheese, and a few others along with a plate of gluten free rolls that were heated to perfection. After little one nibbled on cheese, grapes, and bread and Dan and I ate some of our appetizers, we were then escorted to go meet Cinderella.
With the room all to ourselves, Cinderella came over to greet my little one and walked her back to her seat hand-in-hand. She spent a good ten minutes talking and playing peek-a-boo with her, getting some great smiles. Nothing beat her face though while Cinderella gave her a warm hug!
Little one scooted down off of Cinderella’s lap to be on the move again and then turned and walked back to start talking to her as she then sat down on the floor to be beside her. We’re so grateful that she could spend so much time with Cinderella, a rarity when you’re doing the meet and greets. Someday, when my little girl is all grown up, I’ll be able to share all of these pictures but also the memories that went along with them of how she would wave frantically saying hello to each character only to run up when it was her turn to give a huge hug, when she walked hand-in-hand with Snow White at her wishing well and Cinderella at her castle, talking to both, only to be snuggled a few moments later, and finally my favorite, when she met Mickey and friends, greeting each with a running hug! Such great memories!
With her last princess met, we headed back upstairs to finish our dinner. After a little while longer, our main courses were being delivered. My steak was cooked perfectly but my favorite on the dish was the gluten free creamed spinach. I love creamed spinach and can rarely order it when eating out, so it really stole the show for me. Only moments after our final bites of our meals did our desserts arrive. They were out of the gluten free cake that I had wanted so I ended up with a gluten free cookie and ice cream sundae, which I did happen to remember to take a picture of.
It was pretty good, and although I really wanted to try the cake, it was nice to enjoy a substitute of some kind. All together, our dinner at the castle was a great ending to our trip, both in experience and food. As far as my gluten free dining experience, I consider any meal a success when the chef meets any request that I have and can give me an appetizer, entree, and dessert that nearly match their description on the menu. The chefs at Cinderella’s Royal Table did a fantastic job, and this gluten free mommy is looking forward to returning again!
After our dinner we hopped on a few more rides before picking out a spot on Main Street to catch the last Electrical Parade of our vacation. While I sat and occupied our little one, Dan went to retrieve a few snacks for us. My daughter loves the Mickey pretzel, I think probably more for its shape, but she did seem to love nibbling on it too. Sadly, the Mickey pretzel is not gluten free, but some of my favorite gluten free Disney snacks are the Dole Whip (This is actually by far my favorite when I’m in a sweet mood!), the roasted nuts, the chocolate and nut covered banana, and the popcorn, each of which I enjoyed on this trip thanks to our dining plan! For our last night, I decided to go with the popcorn, which as always had just the right amount of butter and salt on it!
Soon enough, the lights dropped down, the music started, and the parade turned the corner as my little girl began to clap. As I held her and bopped around to the music she waved to all of the passing characters and floats. Goofy, Minnie, and Fairy Godmother blew kisses to her but being dressed as a little Snow White attracted some extra special attention from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
As Dopey led the gang he waved and played peek-a-boo with little one as she waved back (melts my heart). Quickly following, Snow White danced with a couple dwarves behind her and as she danced to the opposite side of the street, she turned around and ran over to our little girl and gave her a huge kiss on her cheek, causing a huge eruption of cheers from the crowd behind us! The dwarves that followed all blew kisses to the little Snow White in my arms, truly topping off our trip. As the parade came to a close, exhaustion settled in and little one was not too keen on the crowds of people swarming around her, so we tried to scoot over to an emptier space to take a picture of the kiss before she wiped off too much of it. And here you go!
What a way to close our last night in Disney! Soon after this picture, little one was strapped into her stroller and passed out in about 5 minutes; so although we didn’t get to see any fireworks this trip, I don’t think it could get any better for her, and us, then to meet all of her friends and get kissed by Snow White during the parade!
After spending the next morning in Magic Kingdom, we found ourselves back at the airport, with the magical vacation having come to a close. It was an amazing trip to say the least, and even though I could’ve done without my little girl and my sick days, it just makes all of the happy and smiley moments that we captured that much more magical!
Have A Magical Day,
Lindsay