Characters - Belle reads up behind the castle in a nook at certain times of day. Its really cute. And in the shade.
I HAD NO IDEA COLUMBIA HARBOR HOUSE HAD AN UPSTAIRS?!?!?! r u serious? we eat in there every time - great cs place with different sandwich options.
There is a weird thing with lines at certain times of the day. I cant recall where I read about it. example - pirates is usually empty around 4pm. We ran over there and it was totally empty - we ran on and rode it 4x in a row. We had our own boat. It was awesome! (that was a sept trip) same thing with smaller lines - doesnt matter what time of year it is.
Funny but true - Mr. Toad (from b4 Winnie the Pooh was there) is in the graveyard at the Haunted Mansion. lol. He's seriously retired.
The loading area to the haunted mansion goes pitch black for 2 secs (or there about) b4 going into the main loading area for the ride. I think its a requirement for the CMs to be a little freaky to work there. lol. Read all the tomb stones on the way in - they are kinda funny. There are also stories about all of the 'people/ ghosts' who are in there and what happened to them. Here is a REALLY COOL WEBSITE ABOUT HAUNTED MANSION.
http://www.doombuggies.com/home.htm
I havent watched a parade there since I was a kid. I remember sitting in crowds of people and having ice cream melt down my arms, being sticky and hot, and I never saw one again. A few years ago we were at MNNSHP and got stuck behind a rope and OMG - the parades are so GREAT now. Totally worth seeing one.
Tony's - I like it. If you eat in the main room it is so fun. There is stuff around (cells and statues) of lady and the tramp. You used to be able to walk in at lunch (early - like 11am) with no ADRs. Not sure if you still can. Their meatballs are GREAT!
There is a secret passage way back behind pirates - it spits you out over by Splash Mountain. There is a potty back there, which is why we found it.
Pay attention to the pottys in MK - some spit out on 2 sides. Its easy to loose a kid. Its easy to get turned around your self if they didnt paint the concrete.
Oh, the concrete in each land is painted a different color. It's a big help if you are lost and dont have a map. Or with that potty thing and figuring out you walked out on the wrong side.
Our son LOVES trains. He considers the TTA a train. Its the blue train. He also likes the steam train that you already mentioned. He also likes the Big Thunder. And I'd like to say - Im a big coaster weenie...and I can do it. My sons FP was about to expire and we lost my husband and daughter, so I took him on. It was fun.
There is a really nice playground across from Winnie the Pooh. Its so cute. There isnt much shade over there though.
Dont get stuck in Fantasyland during Wishes. Your ears will hate you. That is also a bad place to watch it. VERY LOUD. They also rope it off (or the did at the time) and we were stuck back there.
MK is my fav park!
Ride the monorail over. Ride the ferry over. Check out the mosaics when you walk into the castle. SO do that. They are awesome!
Jungle Cruise has turned into such a funny ride. It used to be so cheesy you could can it. Now the 'tour guide's' humor is so dry, its funny. And they say different things if you ride it over and over.
I can confirm that Splash Mnt is WAY wetter than it had been. There was no line in the a.m., so we went on...and got soaked.