Magic Kingdom (day one)
Magic Kingdom is the busiest park we have seen so far and with the wall to wall people there it became apparent that it would be impossible to visit the whole park in one day. Friday, our first day there we were overwhelmed with the crowd and the sights and the heat. Magic Kingdom averages 45,000 visitors per day!
Our day at the park started in the late morning and we found that it takes 30 minutes to actually reach Main Street from the time you arrive in the parking lot. First you are directed to your parking spot, and then you take a land shuttle to board either the mono rail or a riverboat that ferries you to the entry gates. We opted for the mono rail. After the short trip you enter a checkpoint area where security personnel check the content of your handbag or a backpack which most people have. Once you cleared the checking line, you are then directed to booths that scan your ticket and fingerprint. With that completed you are in! Oh yes, you must remember the name of the parking lot your vehicle is located and the row number! Otherwise, with the capacity to park 12,000 vehicles it could be a long search. We were parked in the Donald Duck lot!
With the big crowd located in the front part of the park we decided to take the steam locomotive that circles the park and get off at its one stop Frontier Land. For sure it would be less busy there, WRONG.
Frontierland
This area of the park was packed with people and every time you turned, you would bump into someone or something! We decide to board a raft to visit Tom Sawyer Island. The island is an outdoor playground based on the Mark Twain novels. For those who love the Tom Sawyer stories, you would enjoy a visit to the island. We rated this attraction a B.
Since the island was not as busy and there was an area with tables and chairs even rocking chairs, we took the opportunity to have lunch there. Today we decided to bring our own sandwiches and drinks. Other than having to carry our supplies in a back pack, it was the least expensive way to visit a Disney amusement park.
We were tempted to try the splash mountain, the one where you plunge five stories into a pond of water! The wait time was 60 minutes! So on to the next attraction, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. This is a roller coaster ride that loops through a mountain. After watching it for a few minutes, and with a wait time of 60 minutes we decided postpone until later if we have time to come back in this area.
Liberty Square
This area depicts colonial America. You will find replicas of the Liberty Bell and the Liberty Tree. You feel like you are back to the 1700’s when you step onto the street of this town.
We took a ride on the Liberty Square Riverboat. It tours Tom Sawyer Island and takes about 15 minutes.
Our next stop was the Hall of Presidents. In honour of the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, Barak Obama, the Hall of Presidents has undergone some important renovations since its 1971 opening. Seated in a theatre you get to enjoy a film that illuminates the USA’s origins, the formation of their Constitution and the hard-fought struggles, including the Civil war.
Using Audio-Animatronics figures we got to listen to President Lincoln recites the Gettysburg Address. The finally was a curtain raise and all 44 Presidents are either standing or seated and each one is introduced. The current President then recites the President’s oath of office. The figures looked and moved just like a human being that sometime you wonder if they were not actors dressed in costume! This is a good attraction to visit if you want to learn a bit of American history and for that reason we rated this a B+.
We visited the last attraction in this area, the Haunted Mansion. Again, the lines were long with a wait time of 40 minutes. Once you do get in, the crowd is brought into a room and you are plunged into total darkness. After that experience you climb aboard the Doom Buggy and ride through the haunted house where a Ghost Host introduces you to his dearly departed friends. Dee got a scare when a character popped out as we were coming through a bend. We were a bit disappointed in this attraction and rated it a C. I did read in the newspaper that Disney will be redesigning this attraction.
Fantasyland
We boarded a floating vessel that glides past brightly costumed dolls and animals as they sing "it's a small world" and dance on the shores of the Seven Seaways water canals. The dolls are dressed in costumes that represent more than 100 nations and sing the "it's a small world" song lyrics in 5 languages. Boundaries dissolve and continents are connected by this singular song. The colours and animations are spectacular and I am certain kids would be in awe with this attraction, we were and for that we rated this a B+. The pictures does not do justice to the attraction.
Next stop, Mickey`s PhilharMagic. Let me say that Dee and I rated this A. Sitting in a theatre; you are swept into the scenes from classic Disney films as Donald chases the Sorcerer's hat that starts all the trouble! This movie was filmed in 3D movie and the effects are unreal including the ending which you will have to find out by yourselves when you visit Magic Kingdom.
After our visit in this area we searched for a place to eat our dinner. What we found is that with so many eating establishments in Magic Kingdom, the number of picnic areas is limited and not easy to find. We did manage to find one near Frontierland and had a well deserved break.
With the temperatures in the mid to high 80`s for the week, it is taking a toll on our not so young bodies! After dinner we decided to take the steam train back to main street USA and buy some souvenir. I did pick up the tiara for Princess Audrey and another special souvenir that I am certain she will be thrilled with. Dee also bought Minnie Mouse ears for Mycknli and Princess`s ears and tiara for Serenity and Phoenix got her Tinkerbelle ears.
We got back to the RV around 10:00 p.m. knowing that we would be back at Magic Kingdom the next day.
Saturday, March 26th, 2011
Magic Kingdom (day two)
Today we planned on leaving the RV in late afternoon, hoping that the crowds would be less and maybe catch the night parade and fireworks.
On arrival we were directed to the Dopey parking lot and after this time we decided to take the riverboat to the checkpoint. You should expect to take a good 30-minute from the time you park your vehicle and enter Magic Kingdom. And remember your parking lot!
Was there less of a crowd today? Not really. You could see young kids being pushed, dragged and cajoled by parents to keep going, especially with the incentive that the Electric night parade would be soon! Oh well, I think all parents behave the same way with young kids. Seeing this behaviour from a different perspective we wondered if we were the same with our kids and the answer is yes!
First stop Tomorrowland
The most popular attraction in this area is Space Montain which is an indoor roller coaster and the. Since we are not big roller coaster riders we moved on to the Buzz Lightyear`s Space Ranger Spin. The wait time was 40 minutes and we decided to get a fast pass and come back later.
Our first attraction we got in was Stitch’s Great Escape. We take a seat in a round theatre and get strapped in for a multi-sensory experience featuring audio, video and sophisticated Audio-Animatronic technology. You might even get spit on (water spray) by Stitch and your nose gets involved with smells that fill the air during the show! The mechanical harness that straps you on will move you may feel a bit uncomfortable and for that reason we rated this a C-.
Before going to the Buzz attraction we stopped in for a spin at the Indy Speedway. The lines were long but it moved rather quickly so in no time we got strapped into our race cars and off we went! This attraction is definitely not built for speed! After a tortuous drive around the track we were glad to leave the fuel smell! Not sure if it’s real or they purposely odorize the area with the smell of fuel. It’s no more than a C
On our way to Buzz, Dee decided to drop in at the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. This is a kid-focused comedy show hosted on a digital stage by a monster host. The monster characters are based on the movie Monsters Inc. The object of the show is for the audience to help the monsters power the city of Monstropolis with laughter. There is interaction between the monsters and the audience through jokes and general mayhem similar to the skits you see on just for laughs. Dee rated this a C+.
Finally we cashed in our fast pass to get into the Buzz Lightyear attraction. This is a video-game-inspired ride. As junior space rangers, we boarded a space cruiser and as we travel through the universe we each had a lasers cannons and our job was to shot as many evil minions as we could! After the ride Dee had a score of 6,500 and I scored 40,000. Must be the power of my pirate eye! This attraction gets a rating of B.
On our way back toward Main Street we came across crowds lining the street in preparation for the Main Street Electrical Parade. This was at 8 p.m. and the parade was scheduled for 9 p.m. Thinking that some of the popular attractions would be less busy we decided to check some out. No, they were just as busy and the wait times were still 60 minutes plus. Don’t these people have to go home or what?
Making our way back to Main Street to get a glimpse of the parade, we visited the Swiss Family Treehouse. They did a great job replicating the house that the Swiss Family Robinson lived in the movie of the same name.
When we reached the parade site the crowd was at least 10 deep on both side and almost impossible to see. Now we know why they line up an hour before the parade!
If you do visit Magic Kingdom, you must see it at night at least once. The lighting, the parade and the fireworks are worth it.
Remember when I wrote that it was important to remember where your vehicle was parked? Well the inevitable happened to me. Somehow, with the crush of people and Dee leaving to get a drink, we got separated. Not a problem, just go to the truck and meet up there, right? I went to the Goofy parking lot and started searching for the truck. No GMC Sierra truck to be found. As I walked back toward the land transportation area, I hear my name called! It’s Dee calling me to get in the tram because we were actually parked in the Dopey parking lot. Yes I did feel a bit Dopey! We got home around 11:00, tired and almost done with theme parks!
Tomorrow, we are off to Disney Studios.
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