First day of our trip - 10/09/2015
We had to wake up early to make it in time for our first guided tour of the trip (yes, on our first day).
We took a taxi to Magic Kingdom, because we were told that the bus wouldn’t be early enough to get there in time for 8:30 a.m. tour (which is a total lie, there were busses all around and it takes quite some time to get to MK from the parking lot where the taxis are allowed to park, don’t do that - but as newbies in WDW transportation I trusted the CM’s at AoA).
(pretty pricey, but at least we got a crappy pic of the gate!)
WARNING: spoilers of the Keys to the Kingdom tour ahead!
After going through our first bag check and me screaming with delight at the sight of Cinderella Castle, we checked in for the Keys to the Kingdom tour at the Town Square Theater (not City Hall!), decided on our lunch at Columbia Harbour House and grabbed a complimentary bottle of ice cold water. We then got a few pics on Main Street and went back to grab another bottle of water and watching the first minutes of Lady and the Tramp before the tour started (yes, you get to watch Disney movies while waiting - that’s why they have a TV set in there!). DF almost forgot about the tour because he was so entrigued by the movie.
(right before the tour DF met his favorite ;-))
We all got earphones to be able to hear our guide, but definitely bring your own. I couldn’t find mine when we got off the plane and you got new ones, but you wear them for quite a while (the tour is 5 hours long with breaks), so you’re definitely better of wearing your own. We didn't take lots of pics since we really wanted to experience the park.
Our guide introduced herself right outside of Town Square Theater before we gathered in the middle of Town Square (right in time for the opening ceremony). We then went down Main Street with a stop at the little crotch where you can hear the dancing lessons (this is also where they open up the backstage area when the nighttime shows and parades are happening and you can’t get out of the park otherwise, that’s why they started decorating more of the backstage areas in the past years).
After Main Street we went past Crystal Palace on which exterior you can see the themes changing between Main Street/the Hub and Adventureland (look at the marquees!).
Then it was off to Adventureland where we found out that straw roof off the Enchanted Tiki room is actually metal (look closely and compare it to AK and AKL - for these two they where able to hire an expert from Africa!) and got on our first ride: Jungle Cruise, but without a skipper. Instead our guide told as about Walt’s trip with Mary Blair from which he took the inspiration for the ride and explained the differences between the kinds of animatronics! Moreover did you know that originally there wasn’t a Pirates of the Caribbean planned for WDW? But it was so popular in
Disneyland that they had to include it, although there was no space! That’s why the drop is much steeper than in Disneyland - they have to get you backstage for the ride!
After that we got backstage through the entrance where the bigger parades start. We got to get a closer look at the floats, saw a test drive with them (the candy corns on Halloween are only steered with cameras, watch out, if they come very close to you!), saw the bigger part of Splash Mountain (like Pirates it’s almost completely backstage) and learned that the backstage buildings are all painted in go-away green to blend in with their surroundings.
From there we headed to Liberty Square where the duplicate of Liberty Bell is. It was made with the actual mold of the original Liberty Bell and the crack is handmade to resemble the real one! Next to it is the Liberty Tree. This is a tree Walt chose himself to be a part of MK. It was originally located elsewhere on property and is sitting in it’s own custom made flower pot!
Then we had lunch at Columbia Harbour House. A special area was roped off for us and the lunch (and drinks) where already waiting there for us along with our own condiment bar.
After lunch we were allowed to go on Haunted Mansion through the Chicken exit (which is themed really cool). Before that our guide told us some secrets - including how the dancing scene works. The ghosts are actual animatronics, but are shown to the guests with a mirror, so that they seem more ghostly. The mirror is so big that, if it ever breaks, they would have to put down the whole roof, took the mirror out, put a new one in and reassemble the roof (but that never happened). Moreover the Hidden Mickey on the dinner table isn’t supposed to be there (but some ghost puts it back in place whenever the scene is rearranged).
After that we got backstage Main Street and then down in the Utilidors. There really cool and on almost every wall there are shadow boxes with memorabilia. There’s even a whole one dedicated to MK’s opening. Did you know that Roy Disney interrupted himself during the opening speech to have Mickey by his side, because he said that in Mickey his brother will live on forever and because Walt was the more outgoing of the two and he didn’t want to give speeches, he needed at least part of him by his side (DF may or may not teared up, hearing the story).
And that was it. We had to tell our guide all the Keys to the Kingdom (and general Disney customer service)
- safety
- courtesy
- show
- capacity
which she pointed out again and again whenever they were reflected in the park. They have to be respected by every CM in that particular order.
Review:
We both liked that we did the tour first thing, because we got a better overview of the park along with a little inside on why it is build that way. Over all we enjoyed the tour very much. It was very informative, the backstage part was very cool to see and all the stories well placed int the according setting. I think I started with a very high appreciation for all the detailing and love that goes with the whole setting of the MK and DF feels the same. We liked the background stories more than the ones on DLP (but to be honest, there wasn’t much Walt included in there). You do get the Key to the Kingdom and a name tag with the tour name on it, but both are buttons and as pin collectors we would have liked to have a pin. Lunch is included and they are very accommodating with allergies, they even telephoned with the chef at Columbia Harbour House for me! For the duration (5-5,5 hours with lunch and 2-3 potty breaks) we feel the price is worth it!
After the tour we had a FP for Jungle Cruise which was perfect, because now we could experience it with the Skipper. We also got a coin of it, being our first MK ride ever! After that we watched the Festival of Fantasy parade from Liberty Square / Frontierland which we liked very much. After that we got on the Mark Twain Riverboat to avoid the crowds after the parade. Then we rode Big Thunder Mountain with another FP. We didn’t like it as much as in DLP. I don’t know why, maybe because in DLP it is an island?
Then we got on Pirates with no wait, because it broke down and was just started again and came off in time for our Splash Mountain FP (finally a waterride! I love them and there are none in Europe, because of the ever changing weather!)
We did want to stroll around the Poly and GF, but jet lag kind of hit on us and we decided to get a shower and get changed before our dinner at ‚Ohana. That’s why we didn’t get to see much of Fantasyland and none of Tomorrowland (which turned out to be one reoccuring theme of our trip. It’s kind of funny, because people normally turn right at first in the park, but we always go left! I wonder if this is, because our guide on the private tours in DLP told us to go left first to avoid crowds in the morning and the MK guide told us the same?).
After we took pics we the amazing props at AoA and a shower, I changed in my Hibiscus top for dinner.
As it was a
MNSSHP night, we wouldn’t have been able to watch Wishes in the park anyway, so I booked us dinner in time to watch HalloWishes from there. And we got a window table. Everybody was very nice about my allergies and I got separated plates for the noodles, the veggies and some of the meat! I loved the Bread Pudding, but it’s not the best on property in our opinion!
So, are your ready for some Disney food porn?
First course salad (first pic with carrots, second the Kathi-safe version):
normal salad from the menu - DF liked it, but nothing too special.
my salad - nothing special, but good.
pineapple coconut bread - I LOVED it, although normally I don't like anything with pineapple. It's very soft and perfect for the sea salt butter.
honey-coriander chicken wings and pork dumplings - DF likes especially the dumplings! He couldn't get enough.
The noodles - we both really liked them, well made and I think we had a second helping!
This was my veggie and beef platter. The chef made sure what I could eat and I could choose what I wanted him to make especially for me (I thought I include more of the allergy options, as I suppose the normal options are well known and there are not that different - at this point I have to thank Carly Morgan from MagicalDayWeddings and everclevermom who really helped me with her blog about WDW and allergies).
DF liked the normal veggies well, but thought the broccoli a little bit too bitter!
Lastly came the famous bread pudding with Banana foster sauce!
I really loved it, but I didn't know what more was to come on the other days!
We really liked 'Ohana, especially when we could watch the Electrical Water Pageant and HalloWishes. For Wishes they even piped in the Halloween music and you really could see the castle.
I personally like to watch Wishes from afar better and over all it is not my favorite night-time show. With a castle in the middle I like DLP's Dreams better, because they combine the projection show with the fireworks - I just don't get why they can't do that in the MK?!
More to come soon (and can anyone help me with the multi-quotes? - seems I can't do them anymore; moreover: kitties did well on New Year's and are fine for now!)
HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone - I'm getting married this year!!!
and I can't wait to follow along!
I hope her seizures are well controlled with her medications!
). I wish we could stay at the Beach Club, but only because I think that clown in the pool is creepy as hell (or comes straight out of hell?) adn we have a pool view room... (hopefully I can change that to a Boardwalk view – or are they very loud at night?).
