Even as an Adult it’s Still my Favorite

Tuesday December 5, 2017                                                            Most Recent Posts:
Fort Wilderness Campground                                                 The Rest of the Animal Story
Walt Disney World                                                    Lions and Tigers, Dragons, Bats and Pheasants . . . Oh My!
Orlando, Florida

With the best of intentions, I’ve gotten myself out of order.  I had thought I could do our 5 days in Disney World in just 3 posts by just doing one per kingdom we visited.  Things were going well when I combined our Sunday and Monday in one post.  Then I thought I’d do the Magic Kingdom days, Tuesday and Thursday, in one post.  So I went on to Animal Kingdom which was to be the only Kingdom that got one post all to itself.  But as those of you who read those two posts know, that didn’t happen.  And now I’ve realized that I can’t do two days of the Magic Kingdom in one post either unless I leave out a great deal that we did. 

The Magic Kingdom opened at 8am on Tuesday and I was there having taken the first ferry from the Fort Wilderness Campground.  I had my strategy worked out.  I’d do the rides that were hardest to get fast passes for first since the crowds are almost non existant this early even if you want to do the roller coasters which I do not.  So first up is the Peter Pan ride which is actually one of the two most popular rides in the Magic Kingdom including  Splash and Space Mountains.

I hop on my airborn magic pirate ship and fly out the Wendy, Michael and John’s bedroom window, over London and on to Neverland.   It’s a really dark ride so pictures were impossible for me except for this one of the flying ships just before boarding.  The line is a bit longer when I get off but I hop back in it for a second ride and by the time that one is over, the wait time is 30 minutes.   Too long for me.

From there I go to my second favorite which is Winnie the Pooh.  Here I get to ride in a Hunny Pot through a story book tale of Pooh’s nightmare about the woozles stealing all his honey.  Of course everything turns out wonderfully in the end.

I ride this one twice too.

Now I just wander along enjoying all the space that the relatively few people affords me.  I have wandered from Fantasyland into Adventureland when I see there is no line at all, ZERO, at the Haunted Mansion.

 

Too dark in there for pictures as well.  I guess this would be considered terminal sexual harrassment on the part of Bluebeard until wife number seven.

Walking on along in Adventureland, I take a ride on what is now being called the JINGLE Cruise though after the real live safari in Animal Kingdom, the animitronics here, while fabulous, just aren’t the same.   But the Christmas take is cute and I enjoy riding behind the waterfall  The drivers are known for their jokes.  Al Bossence would love this ride, it’s full of Groaners.

Next I find no line at Pirates of the Caribbean so I hop on a pirate ship and look for Jack Sparrow who is hiding out in several of the scenes we pass through on our watery ride.  You can see it is 9:30am when I am able to walk right in here as well.  

In the end of course Jack is surrounded by all the spoils.

By this time, David has arrived and together we take a magic carpet ride over Adventureland.  You can control how high or low  your carpet rides with an up/down knob. 

We’re on our way to Frontierland when we come upon Jack Sparrow trying to recruit pirates for his band.

It’s a great little show and Jack is very good with the young pirates learning how to sword fight.

We pick up the Walt Disney Roadroad in Frontierland and snag a first car, front row seat.

Love the saucy look of our conductor.

On our way to Main Street, we go through Indian Territory.  Sure enough, that’s exactly what it says on the 1883 map we see in the station as we disembark.  Sorry about the reflection of the lights.  Wonder when it got renamed Oklahoma?  I guess when it became a state in November of 1907.

 

We’ve come back to Main Street so I can pick up a new pack of Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom Cards.  You can get a new pack each day you are in the Magic Kingdom in order to try to defeat the villains attempting to spoil things.

But at the bottom of the Railway station steps is a parade beginning.  It’s the Move It, Shake It Dance Party starting out to go up Main Street, around the castle loop and back getting everyone in the party mood.   Woody and Jessie are dancing on the first float.

There are several other floats with other Disney characters like Bunny Judy Hoppe and Fox Nick Wilde from Zootopia.   But of course the last float has Mickey and Minnie Mouse on it.  They are always on the last float in any parade I’ve seen here.

There are dancers in the street as well like Chip and Dale another two of my favorites.  When we brought Carrie and her friend Emma to Disney World back when they were 7 or 8, we all had breakfast with Chip and Dale.  Luckily they served something other than seeds and nuts.

After getting my cards at the firehouse, I step up to the hidden sorcerer portal in the train station and try out my cards.  They work, I’ve defeated the villain. . .this time.  But he has other plans and I’m told which portal to go to next to continue the fight. 

We follow the portals for a while until we happen on one of my favorite parades, the Festival of Fantasy Parade.  

If I haven’t mentioned it yet and you didn’t figure it out, the Magic Kingdom is my favorite of the kingdoms at Disney World even if everyone thinks it’s for kids.  I love the fantasy and fun of it all.   I love the costumes both on the actors and on the spectators.  Check out the shoes and socks here.

The costumes are gorgeous.  How could you not feel like a princess or a prince wearing this as you waltz down the street in front of Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella?

The dancers’ costumes are marvelous as well.  How about the job title of costume designer for Walt Disney world?

And of course the floats are incredible.  This one has Beauty and the Best in front and then a carousel featuring Cinderella and her prince and Elsa and Anna from Frozen.

Rapunzel and her long golden braid is next followed by Ariel from the Little Mermaid.

Peter Pan comes along driving the pirate ship which sits atop a rainbow with a skull in front, Captain Hook under the rainbow and tinkerbell at the back.  Wonder what sort of background you’d need to be employed as a “float designer”?

There are many many more floats all related to Disney movies including my current favorite princess, spunky Scottish Merida with her flame of curly hair.

And who can resist men in kilts?  Outlander anyone??

But perhaps the highlight of the parade for many of its fans came right after Snow White’s 3 fairy godmothers, Flora, Fauna and Merriweather swirled down the street.

It’s a battle between Prince Phillip and the Maleficent Dragon and her henchmen.   She’s a serious villain with those blazing green yes and her moving feet, head, wings and tail.

But what we are all waiting ofr is a FIRE breathing dragon and Disney does not disappoint.

Maleficent is followed by the rest of the cast of Snow White including Snow and the dwarfs.  They dance down the street with Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit and Jimminy Cricket.   He’s the lead in for Pinocchio float.

And bringing up the end of course are Mickey and Minnie.

When the parade ends, they roll up the ropes and people spill out into the streets again.  We get swept into the crowd and find ourselves in Liberty Square in front of the Hall of Presidents which is closed for the installation of Donald Trump.   I seriously wanted to type Donald Duck but I think we might actually be better off in terms of health care and the environment at least if the latter were our president.  I do try to keep my politics out of my blog but lately it’s difficult.

We’re just in time for some Great Moments in History as the Muppets present the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.

Sam Eagle, the patriotic stickler for solemnity and accuracy, is attempting to read the Longfellow Poem but is constantly interrupted by one muppet or another.  When Kermit tells Miss Piggy there is no part for her since Paul Revere and all the founding fathers were men.  She swoops off stage saying “We’ll see about that”. 

Sam continues his story, saying that Revere rode "by the light of the silvery moon". As he finishes his sentence, music begins playing and a cheap moon prop appears at the end of a stick. Miss Piggy then appears in the center window and begins performing "By the Light of the Silvery Moon, Sam is beside himself and things turn into further chaos before they give up and just sing the catchy title song “Great moments in history….but just the American parts”

It’s actually very funny stuff.  But who doesn’t like the Muppets?

Leaving Liberty Square, we’re on our way for our last fast pass of the day when we stop by to ride Prince Charming’s Regal Carousel, TWICE.

I got a Fast Passes for Buzz Lightyear in Tomorrow Land.  Even though David beat me badly at this twice the last time we were here.  I’m at least going to attempt some revenge.

Pretty sure he’s stunned at the score.   He was on the inside this time where I was last time so he says he must have had a bad gun.  We’ll see.  I have another fast pass for Thursday just in case I didn’t manage to best him this time but I actually skunked him.

We took in the Carousel of Progress, one of David’s favorites since he saw it  when it debuted at the 1965 New York World’s Fair.

By this time, as you can imagine we’re getting pretty tired but we want to hang around at least until 7pm so we can see A Frozen Holiday Wish.  We saw it last year at this time but it was fantastic then and we know it will be again.

So we ride the People Mover in Tomorrowland.  That takes no energy.

We walk over to Dumbo in Fantasyland, where we can fly into the sky on an elephant.  How often do you get to do that?

It’s getting dark so my pictures of the detail in this ride don’t do it justice.   The water fountains all around and the brilliant colors are wonderful.   I’ve had to lighten this picture for the detail to be seen.

Waiting with us in line are Tinkerbell and Cinderella who is just about to lose her glass slipper.

Will the prince find it?

We send Carrie one last selfie and David heads over for the fast pass I got him for his favorite roller coaster, Splash Mountain.  Song of the South is his favorite Disney Movie and Bre’r Rabbit and Bear and Fox and all of them are here though the ride goes so fast he can’t get pictures of them.

I get pictures of a car plunging into the Briar patch and then of David coming past the bridge where I’m standing.  Unfortunately when I took the picture he moved right behind one of the briars but that’s him below the red arrow.

It’s nearly totally dark by now so I’ve had to make the sky white to see him here.

Actually all those who love him probably recognize him even without the arrow in this picture.

And now finally for the fabulous finale to our extravaganza day.  It’s 6:15 and full on dark when we arrive at the Castle Forecourt Stage.  The Castle looks marvelous in tones of blue and pink with gardlands of lights.

Elsa, Anna and Kristoff are missing the snow of their kingdom and decide that’s what this castle needs, some ice.

So of course, who better to make that happen than Elsa who goes to work immediately.  She waves and she swirls and she goes here and there and

eventually we have a fabulous crystal palace and fireworks. 

 

Not sure how we got to stay here for this wonderful magic since the park closes at 6pm for the private Mickey’s Christmas Party (read that an extra  $100 a head ticket) but it was more than worth seeing.   It’s a beautiful sight.  We had seen it last year but that’s exactly why we wanted to see it again.

The Magic Kingdom. 
It’s the best place in all this World for the young at heart.