I was lucky enough that the middle seat did, indeed, stay empty for my flight.
I played games on my phone, took a little nap, and just relaxed for the short flight. Before I knew it we had landed. I didn't check any luggage since it was such a short trip, so I grabbed my carryon bag and made my way to the fake-o-rail and into MCO. I didn't realize how far away in the airport the Mickey Busses were from the Southwest terminal, but I was able to follow the signs and get there before too long. I was able to get on a bus that was leaving right after I boarded, so that was great! Twenty minutes or so later and I was getting off the bus at Pop! Easy as pie. Saw this beauty along the way:
I left my suitcase with bell services and headed right to the Animal Kingdom busses. I hadn't planned on getting to AK until about 1 p.m. because I just didn't know how traveling would go and how long everything would take. I was pleasantly surprised to be on a bus to AK by 11:30 a.m.
I made my way to the left of the park after entering, and shortly had one of these in my possession:
Dole Whips may be the most refreshing thing on the planet on a hot and extremely humid day. This was so good but it was dripping all over the place in a matter of minutes. I really had to gulp it down in order to not make a huge mess with it. Even eaten quickly, though, it was just so good. To me, Dole Whip just screams DISNEY WORLD!
