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Alright guys, I’m finally getting out the first installment of a recap of our Disney trip. I’m planning to recap each day and to also write some other posts with tips and tricks etc. I hope you don’t get tired of Disney posts. I know I never could.

Related: 15+ Tips For The Best Disney Experience Without Kids
Related: 5 Tips For The Best Disney Experience With A BIG Group
Related: Disneyland Vs Disney World: What Is The Difference

Anyway, this day was actually our fourth day in Orlando and at the parks (including Universal), but I wanted to start with it since it was my birthday.

We had a dining reservation that morning to have Breakfast at “Be Our Guest” in the Beast’s castle.

First of all, you should know that Beauty and the Beast is both mine and Pearson’s favorite Disney Princess movies. We both loved it long before we even knew each other and still do today. So we knew when we went to Disney we were going to do all the Beauty and the Beast things. Especially on my birthday.

So back to the story. We had a reservation at 9:05 am and we thought we left the hotel in plenty of time. We did not account for the fact that the Magic Kingdom parking lot is actually a Monorail ride away from the park. And we didn’t think about the fact that on Monday, there would still be a bit of a crowd left over from the Run Disney events that had happened over the weekend.

Expert Tip: Leave with EXTRA time to spare before reservations. And know the transportation situations.

Anyway, we practically ran through the park and made it to Be Our Guest at about 9:40 but they still let us use our reservation! Woohoo!

So the inside of the Beast’s castle was really cool. There are three rooms, the ballroom, the rose gallery, and the west wing. It’s all gorgeous and very on theme. And I hear The Beast comes out and greets his guests at dinner. Too bad we couldn’t get dinner reservations.

After breakfast, we went next door for an “encounter” with Belle. I thought this was just a fancy way of saying you an meet Belle. We waited about 30 minutes (walking through Belle and Maurice’s cottage) and then went in with a group of about 15 people.

The cast members had us all crowd into a room facing an enchanted, time-traveling mirror and say the words “Take us to the day Belle and Beast fell in love!” Then some magic happened and we walked through the mirror to another room where the wardrobe sang a song and (with the help of a cast member) chose children from our group to play different parts of the story of how Belle and Beast fell in love.

Next we all went through to another room where most of us sat on benches while the children in costume waited to reenact the story as a surprise for Belle. Then Belle came in, stunning as ever in her golden ballgown and was wowed by the performance from the children. Then she left. Then we left.

So the kids who were in the “show” got to meet the lady of the hour and got some great pictures with her. Everyone else, not so much. Expert Tip: If you don’t have kids, don’t waste your time. If you want to meet Belle, meet her at Epcot. I’ll get to that. 😉

After the Belle Encounter, we used our Fastpass for Space Mountain. Pearson had never ridden it before and I think he enjoyed it! Pro Tip: Bring a SMALL backpack. On rides like Space Mountain, you have to put them at your feet and mine almost didn’t fit.

While in Tomorrowland, we also did the Carousel of Progress, because you have to! Then we went to the Monster’s Ink Laugh Floor which was pretty funny.

Then we walked around a little and had our picture taken by a few Photo Pass Cast Members.

The lady who took our picture on the bridge to Tomorrowland (above) asked what Pearson’s PhD was in. When we told her BioPhysics, she said “So kinda like rocket science? Because there is a rocket right over there!” Then she had us turn to the other side to take a picture of us in front of a rocket!

We meandered back to Main Street and got the coveted picture right in front of the castle! Which reminds me…

Expert Tip: Buy Memory Maker! Spend the $150-$200 (depending on when and from where you buy). Memory maker gets you free downloads of all the Photo Pass pictures taken in the park! There are Photo Pass cast members everywhere. They are professional photographers with DLSR cameras. This also includes character and ride photos. Do it! It’s so worth it!

We walked over to the Haunted Mansion in time for our second Fastpass. I remember this ride from when I went to Disney World as a kid. My brother was really scared of it!   Then we saw the Hall of Presidents show which included our newest president, Donald Trump. This was also Pearson’s first time to see this show. Then Pearson had to stick his head in the stocks for a photo!

Then we went back to main street to secure a location to watch the parade. We ate lunch (peanut butter and jelly sandwiched that we packed) and took a few more pictures of the castle.

Then the parade started and we had a great spot! 

Then the day was coming to a close and I still hadn’t met Belle. Which was one of my biggest goals for my birthday. So we decided to run over to Epcot because we knew she was in the Paris area there at certain times.   We got on the monorail to the Transportation & Ticket Center, then got on another train to Epcot, went through security again, and ran to the back of the park toward the Eiffel Tower in the distance!   Expert Tip: Download the Disney Transportation app which has maps and times etc. Do as I say, not as I do. It will save you lots of heartache.   When we got to Paris, we looked for Belle all over and the My Disney Experience app actually had her and Aurora’s locations switched! By the time we found her, they had closed the line and that was supposed to be the last time she made an appearance for the day. But a little birdy cast member told us she might be coming back at about 6. So we waited. And she did!! And it was the best experience ever! And she loved my Belle leggings! And now I can die a happy Disney freak!

After meeting Belle, we walked around Epcot a little longer though we had already been to Epcot the Friday before so we didn’t stay long. Then we went back to our hotel to watch the College Football National Championship game, which we won’t discuss.   It was a pretty great birthday except for the game! Have you ever been to the Magic Kingdom? Do you love any Disney character enough to run across creation to meet them on your birthday? Thanks for reading! Linking up with The Love Blog Challenge.