JULY 23RD PART 3: A MAGIC KINGDOM MORNING
Our first stop on this Magic Kingdom morning was
*Cues Will Smiths Wild Wild West*
You guys know that song, right? I cant possibly be the only lame one who totally used to listen to Will Smith as a kid. Actually, I think its already been established that Im INCREDIBLY lame, so moving on
As you can see from this picture, Frontierland is DEAD at Opening. The hordes flock to Space Mountain, leaving Splash and Big Thunder with no waits. There were maybe 30 or 40 people ahead of us. I was expecting to see tumbleweeds blowing across the path. Although, if old movies are to be believed, rolling tumbleweeds usually means that theres about to be a duel, and I dont do well with guns.
This next picture is one of my favorites. I somehow managed to snap it during our hasty walk towards the Mountains.
If you showed this picture to 100 random strangers on the street and asked them to guess where it was taken, I doubt many of them would guess Walt Disney World. And thats what I love about it. Thats also what I love about Disney. When you travel to WDW, youre not just traveling to WDW. Youre traveling to the Wild West, outer space, underwater, an African savannah, countries from around the world, Andys bedroom, and old Hollywood among others, all in one vacation. And, sure, youre not seeing the real thing, but just look through all of the pictures youve taken while at WDW and youll see that youve been to quite a lot of places.
Anyway
Our first ride of the trip was *in my best old timey miner voice* the wildest ride in the wilderness - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad!!
We quickly walked right through the nearly empty queue and down into the station. Much to my sisters delight, we were assigned to the very back row! While standing and waiting for our train to arrive, we were both bubbling over with excitement. Im pretty sure I jumped up and down a couple times. I just couldnt help it
We were at Disney and I was about to ride one of my favorite rides. I think thats cause for a little excited jumping.
Once the train pulled into the station, we boarded, did the little lap bar wiggle for the CM, and then we were off. I LOVE the very beginning of this ride when you take off into the darkness and everyones WOOOOOOOOOs echo throughout the building. You dont actually do much, but its still really exciting.
Because Katie and I were in the very back, we had quite a bit of air time on all of the little drops, which made the ride all the more fun. I love that there are a couple of moments where just as you think youve dropped all the way, you drop a little bit more. They always make me scream. And then laugh hysterically. Rollercoasters are just so funny!
Here are a couple pictures I took on the ride.
After our runaway train made it safely back to the station (thank god), we headed over to the quintessential Disney ride Splash Mountain.
Once again, this ride was essentially a walk-on. We had to wait for less than 5 minutes right before the loading dock, but it wasnt bad at all. Oh, and I absolutely must comment on the fact that the queue is full of signs that say You may get wet. Thats a bit of an understatement. From my experience, the second you sit down in that log, your butt gets soaked. Unless you wear (or sit on) a poncho, there is no way youre escaping the ride without a little moisture in the butt region. No way.
Coming around this bend is one of my favorite parts of the ride. Not because its super intense or anything- you *are* just floating around a bend- but the constant fear that you are going to get soaked by the jets is exciting. My family always sits there timing the boats coming down the hill and praying to Mickey Mouse that we somehow manage to miss the big spray of water.
Of course we never actually manage to miss them and this ride was no different. We got soaked.
I mean, you can see the water dripping off of Katie and Dad in this picture. It wasnt just a little sprinkle of water, it was a drenching. Not a drenching of Kali River Rapids proportions, but for Splash Mountain, we got pretty wet.
I took a couple more pictures before putting my camera away to enjoy the ride.
We continued on our journey, laughing and singing along with the happy little tunes. (Seriously, can anyone resist singing along to Hee Hee Hee Hee Ho Ho Ho Boy, are we in luck! Were visitin the Laughin Place. Yuck Yuck Yuck Yuck? I certainly cant.) But before we knew it, we were making that climb up the final hill. This is usually the part where I start to think WHAT IN THE WORLD AM I DOING??? I dont normally do heights. Or falling. Like, I go out of my way to avoid those things. But, theres no way out
unless I want to become one of those crazy people who jumps out and then either dies or gets kicked out of Disney for life. And of course, I dont want either of those things to happen, so I close my eyes and basically curl up in a ball in my seat. Well, I keep my feet on the ground, but I tuck the top half of my body down as far as possible. And make sure to keep a steady death grip on the bar. Then, I try not to hyperventilate as I wait for the drop to be over.
Thankfully, most of us didnt get too wet from the splash at the bottom of the hill, but my dad got SOAKED. He got a face full of water and his shirt was completely wet. It was hilarious. And I was incredibly thankful that he's so tall. His tallness prevented me from getting drenched. So kids, always sit behind your dad. He makes a great shield.
After singing along to Zip-a-dee-doo-dah and getting stuck in the boat backup for what seemed like hours, we made it back to the station. We laughed at our picture (I cannot believe I forgot to take a picture of the picture) and I ran off to the bathroom to brush out my hair. It was a wet mess. Blerg.
Next up, we headed back to 18th Century America to join the happy haunts of the Haunted Mansion.
There wasnt much of a line, but we *just* missed out on making it inside, so we had to wait a few minutes. Frankly, I didnt mind waiting. I love reading all of the gravestones.
Before long, we were packed into the Stretching Room and introduced to our Ghost Host. The Stretching Room would be a lot more enjoyable if I actually had room to stretch out my own body. This claustrophobic hates been packed in with a gajillion other people. And then theres the mad push that happens when they open the door to the loading area. I grabbed on to Dads arm so we wouldnt get separated. Why cant people ever do this in a more orderly manner? Like, how hard is it to wait at the back while the people near the door exit? Why must everyone shove themselves towards the front? Seriously, psychologists, I want to know. Is there some weird thing in our brain that kicks in and causes everyone to be all MUST GO TOWARDS DOOR NOW? Whatever it is, its super annoying.
As per usual for us on the Haunted Mansion, we got stopped for a bit. I know they have to stop the ride to load the handicapped folks, which I have no problem with, but why can't I ever get stopped in one of the exciting parts of the ride? I always have to sit in the library, listening to the creaky ladder over and over. Why can't I get stuck in a room with ghosts and other cool stuff to look at?
After narrowly avoiding being selected as the 1000th Happy Haunt, we headed off towards one of my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE RIDES
Its a Small World!!
So many people hate it, but I could sit on one of those boats and float around the world all day. There are just so many things I love about it. I love the smell of the Disney water. I love waving goodbye to the ride operator (As did the people sitting in front of me).
I love this sign.
I love when the music first kicks in and everyone around me rolls their eyes, but I get really happy. I love how the entire ride looks like a giant art project. I love this little guy who sits atop a mountain shaking his head to the music.
I love how bright and cheery the ride is. I love the gondolas in Italy. I love the glitter! I love the pandas eating bamboo. I love the Taj Mahal. I love the magic carpets. I love everything about the jungle room. I love these giraffes.
I love these spinning penguins (and their hats).
I love the Polynesian version of the song. It makes me want to get up and dance.
I love everything about the final room the lights, the castle, the ferris wheel, the rollercoaster. I also love that the boats tend to get backed up in there because it gives me more time to take in all of the details.
I also love passing by the signs that say goodbye in a bunch of different languages. Because we were staying at the Polynesian, I took a picture of the Aloha sign. Its so glittery and fabulous.
I dont love that they make me get off of the ride, but I do enjoy how the boat shakes as the chains pull you back up into the dock. One time, the boat somehow got stuck and we sat there vibrating for a minute or two. It was hilarious.
So thats what I love about Its a Small World. Yeah, its not the most thrilling ride, and the song does get a bit repetitive, but its classic Disney. How can you hate that?
UP NEXT: More Magic Kingdom fun!!
It's on my "Four Parks One World" CD and I listen to it every single day on the way to work, and I never knew what it was from! I thought it was just a song they played on Main Street or something! 
Now I have even more motivation to do rope drop at MK in November! 
Love it. And you got the very back?! Awesome! We love the very back. I can still hear the spiel in my head "Hold on to your hats 'n glasses, 'cause this here is the wildest ride in the wilderness!"
And that's great you got a pic of the water coming down the big drop. The whole rest of the next week, it wasn't working!
...waiting (im)patiently for more!! 
But hey, what a way to go if you did not live to tell the story..it happened at WDW! 
