I took my first Disney World Vacation with my two young daughters. I'm a middle aged father and husband who has never been on a Disney World vacation. Disney World, as most of you know, is comprised of four parks, MGM Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom. They each have their pros and cons. But after visiting each during our week long Disney World vacation I decided that I enjoyed Magic Kingdom the most.

Magic Kingdom did not have my favorite ride. That was Rock n Roller coaster at MGM Hollywood Studios. It did not even have my second or third favorite rides. But simply for the enjoyment of being with my family and enjoying a vacation and watching my kids experience everything, I simply liked the vibe at Magic Kingdom better.

Magic Kingdom made me feel like I was in a fairytale. It made me feel like a kid again. I still remember the books my grandma used to read me like Dumbo and Pinocchio when I was a kid. I loved those books. I just found it fascinating and yes, even magical, to see those characters in the Magic Kingdom. They were found on murals or rides or during the parade or fireworks show. It made me remember those old time Disney characters from when I was a little kid.

And I guess that is what I liked most. Sure I liked Nemo and Toy Story. Those enhanced animation movies are fantastic. But I still fondly recall those old Disney 2-D animation features. I still like them best. I'm not a huge fan of the princess movies but I still like the feeling I get when I see those characters. I find myself reminiscing about simpler times as I get older. The new animations are just not the same as the originals.

There were a few rides in Magic Kingdom that I enjoyed. Thunder Mountain was enjoyable for everybody. It was fast enough for mom and dad yet not that scary for a 7 year old. We enjoyed going through the Haunted Mansion. It was really amazing what they can do with lighting effects and robotics and such. The Speedway was great fun for my 7 year old. She thought she was big stuff driving that go-cart. Unfortunately Space Mountain was closed. We would have liked to have ridden that. Pirates of the Caribbean was as cool as the Haunted Mansion was.We all liked going around and up and down in the Astro Orbiter. And Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin was a fun shoot and ride, though if you compare it to Toy Story Mania, the shooting aspect is not as polished and satisfying.

There were a few entertainment features we enjoyed. Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor was surprisingly entertaining. It's rather interactive and gets the audience involved with the show.

Of course the big feature was the Disney World Magic Kingdom parade and fireworks show. Technically I think they call the fireworks show "Wishes Nighttime Spectacular" and the parade is referred to as "SpectroMagic" Parade. The nightly parade can seen at 9 or 11 o'clock with the fireworks show at 10. Since the first parade is very crowded, particularly on the Saturday night we watched it, we decided to go ride a couple of rides which weren't crowded at that time. Then we went and found a spot to watch the fireworks show and then stayed for the last parade. This worked out well.

The fireworks are spectacular. They last for 20 minutes and obviously are over the Magic Kingdom castle. During the show Tinker Bell slides down a zip line which was pretty amazing and Pinocchio narrates throughout. We managed to find a spot right on main street, right in front of the castle. The park personnel form a line of blue flashlights for those wishing to exist the crowd away from the fireworks show. We stood right behind them as they maneuvered the herd to the exists. People gave them a wide berth for some reason. When the show started they left so we had a nice area to stand and watch from.

The last parade is lit up with lights. Those Disney characters you would imagine to be there were all in attendance. Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Goofy, Pluto, Cinderella and numerous others. It was a fun parade. I just love the parades that occured at all the Disney World parks.

Disney World is an amazing place. I'm not sure I would have cared for it as much as I did with my kids. It was nice to think back to my childhood and what those Disney characters meant to me when I was a kid. Going on this Disney World vacation kind of brought that back so in that regard I enjoyed the visit. I think everyone truly needs to go to Disney World. I don't see how you can go and not visit each park. We did and I came away thinking that Disney World Magic Kingdom was my favorite, and not for the reasons that you might think.