Eeyore1954
<font color=purple>A smart man who realizes that p
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2002
- Messages
- 5,327
Discovering the Inner Child at MK!
I know some people wonder why a couple of DINKs (Double Income-No Kids) would want to go to MK, but I believe it's important to nurture and celebrate the inner child in us. And what better place to do that than MK!
My DW and I love to arrive at the MK via the ferry. Sure the monorail is "cool" and "fun", but there's something special, maybe even a little magical, about the slow ride across the lagoon, watching the Kingdom grow closer and closer. It builds the anticipation and excitment -- you can almost feel like a little kid again for a few moments, thinking you might just burst before the boat docks!
It finally does and you race with the crowd toward security, trying to find the shortest AND fastest line. All the time that inner child is bouncing off the walls, assuring you that you're gonna miss something special if you don't get moving NOW!
Finally the gate and THE announcement. The rope drops and you're headed in. My DW and I rush in, but then quickly head to the side to avoid the crush. My first (traditional) destination is the MK Barbershop. If you've never had your hair cut at MK, you've missed a real treat. But you better make an appt. or get there early, because there's only 2 chairs and it could be a LONG wait.
Michal usually does my haircut and he was in rare form this day. He kept up a non-stop banter with DW about the shagginess of my hair and how his work was cut out (pun intended) for him. The haircut is sometimes not essential, but it is fun to do. To top it off, Michal gives each customer a generous sprinkling of pixie dust -- some of which I was still combing out of my hair that evening! Alas, I couldn't get DW to agree to a mix of the blue & green color gels (they wash out in the shower) -- somehow her inner child just couldn't bear the idea of a 48 yr. old child running rampant through MK with blue AND green hair. Phooey!
Once the haircut is done, we race off to the castle. By this time the crowd has scattered throughout the park. By this time in Nov. the crowd is much smaller and since today is EE at Epcot, we had little wait for most rides. In fact, as we walked we noticed that the Fastpass machines were tented -- a good indication that we'd have a fun, nearly wait-free day.
At the Hub, we head to the left, avoiding the natural tendency to turn ride. We usually start off in Adventureland, working against the flow. It seems to work well for us. As we walk, I spot a lime-green ribbon on a lady with a GoH pin, but before I can speak, DW grabs my arm and we're running toward the Jungle Cruise ride. Alas, this was the only green ribbon I spotted all week.
This year I finally get DW to ride Splash Mountain with me. After braving ToT, she was reluctant, but slightly willing. Turns out she had a blast and we went on the ride two more times! We made it to the front seat once -- which guaranteed a good soaking. The inner child didn't care -- he was having a blast!
Lunch meant a little bit of a hike 'cause I really wanted to eat at Cosmic Rays. Love their burgers -- JMO, but they are the best on-site. I went with the Cosmic Creation with bacon -- heck, the inner child isn't worried about cholesterol! -- while DW opted for the grilled chicken. My inner child created a Cosmic Mess to eat using the fixings bar -- oh well, that's why the adult in me grabs plenty of napkins. It's great to forget being all neat and clean for one meal and just dive head-first into a burger loaded with everything! Thank goodness there is a restroom nearby!
The afternoon was filled with all our favorite rides and no less than 3 trips through the Haunted Mansion. I think I finally found the hidden Mickey in the dining room with the dancing ghosts!
A little before 3 we staked out a good spot for the parade. It was tough deciding whether to watch the parade or snag a few more rides, but the parade won. Glad we chose that -- the Share a Dream parade was terrific!
Back to the rides and a fun-filled visit to ToonTown. We ate dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern and then headed to Main Street to snag a spot for the Fantasy in the Sky fireworks. Alas, we picked a day to visit MK when SpectroMagic was not scheduled, but we did swing back on Saturday to see that parade. That is a not-to-be-missed parade.
After the fireworks, we picked up a couple of desserts from the Main St. Bakery and sat at a table. We were determined to see the "Kiss Goodnight" on this trip. We watched people head out of the park and it grew quieter and quieter. Then the castle began to fill with color -- just like it did on the Wonderful World of Disney TV show. We missed Tinkerbell flying -- we thought we were watching very carefully, but oh well.
Sitting and watching the castle colors with a soft breeze and music in the background is the best way to close a day at MK. We reluctantly left our seats and began to follow the rest of the stragglers out to the ferry. The inner child clung to the back of the ferry watching the Kingdom slowly disappear all the while wanting to go back and ride Splash Mountain just once more.
Oh well, there's always the NEXT TRIP!
I know some people wonder why a couple of DINKs (Double Income-No Kids) would want to go to MK, but I believe it's important to nurture and celebrate the inner child in us. And what better place to do that than MK!
My DW and I love to arrive at the MK via the ferry. Sure the monorail is "cool" and "fun", but there's something special, maybe even a little magical, about the slow ride across the lagoon, watching the Kingdom grow closer and closer. It builds the anticipation and excitment -- you can almost feel like a little kid again for a few moments, thinking you might just burst before the boat docks!
It finally does and you race with the crowd toward security, trying to find the shortest AND fastest line. All the time that inner child is bouncing off the walls, assuring you that you're gonna miss something special if you don't get moving NOW!
Finally the gate and THE announcement. The rope drops and you're headed in. My DW and I rush in, but then quickly head to the side to avoid the crush. My first (traditional) destination is the MK Barbershop. If you've never had your hair cut at MK, you've missed a real treat. But you better make an appt. or get there early, because there's only 2 chairs and it could be a LONG wait.
Michal usually does my haircut and he was in rare form this day. He kept up a non-stop banter with DW about the shagginess of my hair and how his work was cut out (pun intended) for him. The haircut is sometimes not essential, but it is fun to do. To top it off, Michal gives each customer a generous sprinkling of pixie dust -- some of which I was still combing out of my hair that evening! Alas, I couldn't get DW to agree to a mix of the blue & green color gels (they wash out in the shower) -- somehow her inner child just couldn't bear the idea of a 48 yr. old child running rampant through MK with blue AND green hair. Phooey!
Once the haircut is done, we race off to the castle. By this time the crowd has scattered throughout the park. By this time in Nov. the crowd is much smaller and since today is EE at Epcot, we had little wait for most rides. In fact, as we walked we noticed that the Fastpass machines were tented -- a good indication that we'd have a fun, nearly wait-free day.
At the Hub, we head to the left, avoiding the natural tendency to turn ride. We usually start off in Adventureland, working against the flow. It seems to work well for us. As we walk, I spot a lime-green ribbon on a lady with a GoH pin, but before I can speak, DW grabs my arm and we're running toward the Jungle Cruise ride. Alas, this was the only green ribbon I spotted all week.
This year I finally get DW to ride Splash Mountain with me. After braving ToT, she was reluctant, but slightly willing. Turns out she had a blast and we went on the ride two more times! We made it to the front seat once -- which guaranteed a good soaking. The inner child didn't care -- he was having a blast!
Lunch meant a little bit of a hike 'cause I really wanted to eat at Cosmic Rays. Love their burgers -- JMO, but they are the best on-site. I went with the Cosmic Creation with bacon -- heck, the inner child isn't worried about cholesterol! -- while DW opted for the grilled chicken. My inner child created a Cosmic Mess to eat using the fixings bar -- oh well, that's why the adult in me grabs plenty of napkins. It's great to forget being all neat and clean for one meal and just dive head-first into a burger loaded with everything! Thank goodness there is a restroom nearby!
The afternoon was filled with all our favorite rides and no less than 3 trips through the Haunted Mansion. I think I finally found the hidden Mickey in the dining room with the dancing ghosts!
A little before 3 we staked out a good spot for the parade. It was tough deciding whether to watch the parade or snag a few more rides, but the parade won. Glad we chose that -- the Share a Dream parade was terrific!
Back to the rides and a fun-filled visit to ToonTown. We ate dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern and then headed to Main Street to snag a spot for the Fantasy in the Sky fireworks. Alas, we picked a day to visit MK when SpectroMagic was not scheduled, but we did swing back on Saturday to see that parade. That is a not-to-be-missed parade.
After the fireworks, we picked up a couple of desserts from the Main St. Bakery and sat at a table. We were determined to see the "Kiss Goodnight" on this trip. We watched people head out of the park and it grew quieter and quieter. Then the castle began to fill with color -- just like it did on the Wonderful World of Disney TV show. We missed Tinkerbell flying -- we thought we were watching very carefully, but oh well.
Sitting and watching the castle colors with a soft breeze and music in the background is the best way to close a day at MK. We reluctantly left our seats and began to follow the rest of the stragglers out to the ferry. The inner child clung to the back of the ferry watching the Kingdom slowly disappear all the while wanting to go back and ride Splash Mountain just once more.
Oh well, there's always the NEXT TRIP!
