Must... Stay... Awake...
I think I am starting to understand when people say they need that afternoon break back at their resorts. I am usually gung ho from the moment I enter the park until well after park close, no matter how much or how little sleep I get. But on this day, I think my body was finally standing up for itself. I don't blame it after the abuse I gave it all week and then to expect to stay awake for 24+ hours (at Disney World mind you), but it was putting up a pretty good fight. But for the love of Disney we must persevere! That was probably why I made one of my goals to stay awake for the full 24, because otherwise I would have had some major issues as my afternoon was chalked full of shows and attractions, putting the rides on the back burner.
Noon-1:30pm Festival of Fantasy Parade (shoot in Liberty Square)
Liberty Square Riverboat
Country Bear Jamboree
1:30-5:00pm Lunch?
Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
Stitch's Great Escape
Carousel of Progress
As we all know, Disney offers several great nap... I... I mean... attractions and shows, so the goal was to try and stay out of the heat of the afternoon as much as possible and enjoy them!
Disclaimer: I would never (intentionally) use a show as an nap opportunity as I truly can appreciate all of them (except the Circle of Life film, thanks for the blow to my self-esteem
). On any other day, if my body was fighting me as much as it did that day, I would have gladly given up to head back to the resort).
So clap your hands and
Stomp your feet and
Try to keep right with 'em.
One sure thing the Bear Band's got
Is real ol' country rhythm....
View attachment 108215 View attachment 108216 View attachment 108217 View attachment 108218
Blood on the groouunnnndddd......
Honestly, that is such a great time and I really do enjoy this show, which is odd given how much I dislike country/folk music in general. But then again, I like classic symphony and jazz, so what do I know?
I get why people might think it is lame and hokey and dated and all that, but if you "put yourself in it" and have a positive and open mentality, I think people will realize it's got some catchy tunes, memorable one liners and imo a great calamitous ending worthy of a big smile. It never ceases to amaze me seeing kids and adults going in complaining or not knowing what to expect and yet they are tapping their feet or clapping along or laughing throughout. Not everything will appeal to everyone, but making the most out of those moments is great for you and the crowd you are with. I only throw that out there because one kid had the audacity to say, "that was the stupidest thing I have ever seen." Apparently Mama don't whip Little Buford...
Well, folks, this concludes my mini soapbox moment. So thanks for "bear"ing with me to the "bear" end.
After that though, I was starting to loose steam and the first thing to go was my camera. I stowed it away for the majority of the afternoon as it was one less thing to waste energy. As sad as that sounds, lugging around a 20 pound camera bag and having to swing it off the shoulders just to take a picture or have the camera strap pulling my head down was kind of exhausting. So I put it away as the shows don't really lend themselves to much in terms of photography anyways. You are probably asking yourself, "why didn't you rent a locker then?" It's true that I could have. I was there plenty early enough to snag one, but I thought I was going to be more ambitious with the camera than I ended up being that day. I was looking to switch out lenses for shots and set up the tripod to shoot some "park benches", but honestly the stubbornness war ragged on all day and by the afternoon I just conceded to the fact that I would need the tripod after dark and that the gear was worth lugging around all day. Tip for the future, RENT A DANG LOCKER IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO CARRY BAGS ALL DAY!
Hindsight is 20/20 though, and honestly I wouldn't have complained or even needed one if I wasn't going on with an hour of sleep. Lessons learned people!
After a leisurely ride on the Liberty Square Riverboat (a relaxing way to take in the park!), I hit up Mickey's PhilharMagic. I honestly cannot explain why, but that show is always a misty eyed moment for me. Donald is a riot and it's cute and "sense"sational (sorry I couldn't resist), but when 'Part of Your World' and "A Whole New World" come on, I can't help it. I guess I am a hopeless romantic... Anyone else get that way?
After that it was Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor (apparently I suffer from anxiety, because I always get so nervous that I will have to be the 'free churros' or even worse 'feels the urge to get up and dance' guy. I am normally a social being and don't mind making a fool of myself, but there is something about that show...
Then it was time to hit up my favorite non-ride at the Magic Kingdom... The Carousel of Progress. I. love. this. show. Again, I get why people dislike it (they are totally wrong on this one), but I get why. However, for me, I remember this one as a kid and I remember being so intrigued seeing progress advance through the decades and my dad singing that tune and how I now find myself whistling it from time to time when I am day dreaming. I don't know why I feel the way I do about it, but to me, it is 'classic' Disney and to me it screams "Walt's presence" (which was obviously heavy for it's creation), PLUS it is said to be his favorite ride. So can we really argue about this one? One of these days though I am actually going to photograph the thing (I had my camera out and ready to go). However, I
always get the CM who says no photography (apparently that isn't always the case), but one of these days I might try being rebellious... But there's a great big beautiful tomorrow shining at the end of everyday. OH YES! There's a great big beautiful tomorrow, just a dream away....
After that, it was a sad attempt to enjoy Stitch's Great Escape. Now I will (almost) always stand up for Stitch (because I do enjoy that movie and I love his mischievous and misunderstood character) but this time around, Disney was on bad form. One KUKA arm was down and the other was on the fritz. Some lady was terrified and so she blasted her phone's "flash" to illuminate everything, and I swear parts of the show were missing. I want to defend it's presence in the park, but with an experience like that one, I don't blame people for not liking it.
After that, it was on to The Hall of Presidents...
View attachment 108263 View attachment 108264
I don't think I give this attraction enough credit, and I think it is because I compare it too heavily with The American Adventure over in EPCOT. It is partially justified, but in all honesty, I think this is a great show. The animatronics are fantastic and quite frankly I don't know of a better way to share the history of our presidents.
I wanted to end it on that Patriotic note, but it was either end this post or start the next one in kind of a lame fashion. But what I want to share in the next post deserves a proper start, so I will just mention that I got to eat at Tortuga Tavern for the first time ever!
View attachment 108265
Told ya it was kind of lame
But honestly, since I have only been during the August/September months, I miss out on certain seasonal things and this was one of them. I know it may not seem like a big deal, but when you are always looking to "experience something new" at the parks, this fits in on that basis. So I was more than happy to grab a late lunch/early dinner there.... until I saw the menu.... truthfully I found it a bit lacking/disappointing. I don't know if I really had any expectations for it, but I wasn't exactly impressed. The beef burrito that I had was pretty decent (especially in comparison to the typical 'park food'), but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here I don't think. What about you guys? Do you have any thoughts on Tortuga Tavern?
With that, I will end it here and hopefully pick it back up in the next few days!
). I must admit that like most buffets on property, it is hard to wow me with the food being served... and this one is no exception. The 'Pooh Puffs' aside, there isn't anything really special about this restaurant with exception for one thing.... Winnie the Pooh and his gang are here!
)
. One of these years I am determined to do the 24 hour event!
