Day 3 or How many bodies can you pack in the Magic Kingdom

[Tiiiigergirl]

Cast of Adventurers

Me: Shelly Disney Nut and wanting to go back to WDW for 12 plus years.
DH: Warren Converted Disney Nut
DS: Brandon, Age 7 Being raised right (a Disney Nut)

The alarm went off and we bounced out of bed. O.K. I bounced and everyone else groaned. We ate a nutritious breakfast of fruit, poptarts and nutter butter cookies. I was much better this morning at backing onto the bus and we headed back to EPCOT. I don't remember the order of when we did what, but you gentle reader probably don't really care. And I just realized that I could lie and you wouldn't know so...... I know we rode Test Track twice. This is the beauty of going in September when fewer people do. Went on Journey to your Imagination (WHAT did they do to this ride!?) nuff said. We watched Honey I Shrunk the Audience (I have no clue if I liked it since I kept my eyes closed through half of it.) Brandon and I rode Body Wars (Who are those weenies that get sick on this ride? Oh right, I married one of them. Just kidding dear. Warren is brave enough he just suffers from motion sickness in simulator rides.) Watched Cranium Command and Making of Me (I was hoping that this would generate some questions from Brandon, but I think the whole thing sort of went over his head.) Rode the Universe of Energy (I think this one will always be best your first ride if you're not expecting the theater seats to move.)

We also stopped in at the Coca Cola igloo. Driving through the snowstorm was pretty great. I filled up 2 big cups of Beverly and told Warren and Brandon that I had heard how wonderful this stuff was. They each took a great big gulp and I watched to make sure Brandon did not spit it out. You would think that after all the time that they lived with me, they would know better than to trust me. Foolish men. I took a tiny sip. After we left the liquid swill station, no offense intended to any that enjoyed it, we grabbed more fast passes for Test Track and went to our lunch reservations.

Most of our meals were of the fast food variety to save time and money but occasionally we splurged. We had lunch at Akershus and it was worth every penny. Our waitress (I wish I could remember her name but we have a nice picture) was from Norway and told us about each dish and when she ate it in her family. The food and the service were great. We had one more ride on Test Track and we headed back to the hotel for a rest.

It started to rain, but we were undaunted. This was the night and the only night of our vacation that they showed the Main Street Electrical Parade. Now I thought when I went to Disneyland a few years ago that I said goodbye. I was not going to miss this opportunity to share this parade with my son. So we slogged in the damp with the other millions and millions of visitors to see the spectacle. It was so crowded that the only attractions that we got on were the Haunted Mansion and It's a Small World.

We asked a cast member about disabled viewing and he looked at us like we landed from Mars but said he was just roping off this area and we could park it here. Now the other items that never made it on our packing list was the guard dog, the artillery or at least a sign that says "I've been sitting in this drizzle for the past hour so no you may not squeeze in front of me." At least the people were cordial. I thought I was going to have flashbacks to our goodbye trip to the parade in California when people literally broke out in a mini-fight. Back then I was just starting to need my chair and so for that parade I was standing and Warren and I inched our way away from the fracas. We would have been sitting ducks if I would have been more disabled. Scary.

We were also worried because of the weather that the parade might not happen. We got lucky. There are a few things that I think are better about Disneyland and this was one of them. Maybe it was that we were sitting in Frontierland and in my mind parades just aren't supposed to go thru Frontierland. I don't know, but I was mildly disappointed. Or maybe the whole experience was colored by what was to come.

After the parade we had the genius idea of seeing the Hall of Presidents. Warren really wanted to see this and Brandon was already asleep in his stroller so I couldn't see a problem. I've told War that if he wants to see it ever again, I'll go ride Small World 20 times in succession. Kidding it wasn't that bad, but again I can go quite a few years without seeing it again.

After that the park closed and so we left. So did everyone else. I'd read in guidebooks that Saturday Nights in the off season at the Magic Kingdom could be bad at closing. Mere words do not do this experience justice. The teeming mass of humanity all trying for busses, monorail and ferry boat rides was unbelievable. We were scrunched in and it was almost impossible to find our bus line. If I had really known what it was going to be like, I would never, I MEAN NEVER, planned to be in the Magic Kingdom on a Saturday night.

The only bright spot. Brandon slept thru the whole thing. I wish I could have. Dear would you please set the alarm for 6:30?

 

[BethC]

Oh, I hear you. The Magic Kingdom on a Saturday night when that's the only night the electric parade is being shown is the absolute worst!!

Learned that one the hard way. We always try to avoid Saturday nights at the MK now too.

 

[raammartin]

These are great! Feel like I'm right there with you.

 

[welovedis]

I know what u mean about those MK parades crowds--yikes!

 

[erica_mutterer]

loving your reports....nightmare on mainstreet....remember those nights....but we'll be doing it again in november...just got to see that parade....we always park ourselves for about 45 min in tomorrow land after the parade to wait out the crowds before leaving.

 

[BrerMom]

If I didn't love parades so much, I don't think we'd even attempt it. I remember putting both both in our single stroller - just for safety's sake. I was afraid they'd either get lost or stepped on. Our daughter held on to me with both hands.

There has to be a better way and I think it's to keep the rides open for an hour after the parade is over.

 

[nativetxn]

You may not have had fun dealing with the Saturday night crowd, but I had a ball reading this report. My dh thinks I've lost my mind, I'm just sitting here reading this report and laughing out loud

Thanks for posting this for us to enjoy.

Katholyn

 

[swankybeth]

Sounds like a fun day except for the whole parade stuff. I absolutely hate the trouble it takes just to enjoy the nighttime parades at the MK. We've sworn them off until they introduce a new one....

 

[dan-tot]

It sounds like the parade started at main street. There is a side of the walkway that sits in front of the train station that they always rope off for people with disabilites. I know the CMs on main street know what they are doing. You might have gotten a new Cm on the rope team. I know about the parade we went last year and it was fantastic. We were like 15 feet from the start of the parade they came out of the right side of the fire station. When all the parade had passed we left. We were in front so there weren't to many following us back to the ferry. I know how you feel about people trying to get in front just because they think they have children they can stick them any place and no body will mind. I had this happen to me twice this year. First time was in Las vegas I was there for a business conference and I had a chance to see the pirate show at treasure island. So to get a good standing place for the show I stood at my place for a good hour before the show started. About 10 minutes before the show a woman with two small kids tried to get in front of me. She figured she had kids and people would move for them. I gave them a polite no so they got the idea and left. I feel if I am a parent I should have the responsibility to find a spot early enough so that my child or myself could see the program clearly. This year since the 9-11 problems they cut the parades down to the 3 0'clock. This parade was a new one so we decided to stay and my sister is like you she cannot walk for long periods of time. So we saw them roping for the 3o'clock and it was only 45 minutes to the start so we stopped. It was a hot day and there was no shade were we were. Thanks goodness for sun block. A woman who was to the right of us was using a ecv so she parked to the right since she had come in before us. She proceeded to tell the CM that she had a big party which of course was not there. So off she goes and we don't see her until just before the parade starts . She comes back with 8 more people 6 adults and two kids in tow. So she starts to act like this is her personal area. Lucky for her there was enough loose room so that everyone could sit comfortabily. The kids went in front of the mother or her father which he was in a ecv as well. If they were going to make a move towards my sister's position I was going to say something ,I was going to be polite but if that would not connect I would of been more clear. I don't like to stero type people but this woman was a typical new yorker stero type. I am sorry I give everyone a break but I could tell where she was from her voice and from her pushy attitude. When the parade is at the end the cms come and pick kids out to play with the characters in the middle of the street. This woman just took her daughter out into the street to go play with the characters like there wasn't anything wrong with it. I think if every adult would do that with thier child it would be chaos. So you tell me am I wrong? The parade was great and the at MGM was as well. Don't miss them if possible. Little hit the 3o'clock comes out of splash mountain area first.

 

[B3LM]

OK, I was just laughing out loud when I read the paragraph about Beverly! That was the worst tasting drink I've EVER tried! I couldn't get my DH to try it, though.

I'm really enjoying reading your report!
Thanks!
Beth