Doing Disney with an Infant. Our April Photo Trip Report.

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Day 6: Hollywood Studios Part 3


The next attraction that we would be doing is the Backlot Tour. I know this isn't popular amoung many people but we figured we would give it a try. Keep in mind that this attraction is fairly long as it takes around 35 minutes not counting the wait in line. I know this ride typically has a short wait but it was really busy at this time. We waited for about 15 mintues before we were finally in the group to start the tour.

The first portion of the Backlot Tour is a special effects presentation about a harbor attack. I honestly didn't take too many pictures here as I thought there was gonna be more to it as i've seen people who become a part of this portion of the tour but there was nothing of the sort on our visit. It was just the 2 hosts talking about how they accomplish the scenes and then they were demonstrated without actors. It was pretty neat to see none the less though although the water tanker scene wasn't as exciting without an actor.

The next portion takes you into the "prop" warehouse. After passing the chicken coup thing from the Hanna Montana movie you enter a building filled with whats suppose to be hundreds of props from different movies and TV shows. I don't know if everything in there was used in front of a camera at some point or not but it is pretty cool to look around and see everything to see if you can recognize something. This is also the waiting area for the tram portion of the tour.

We however had no wait at all. We walked strait thru the warehouse and were able to make it on the Tram that was loading at the time. Although we barely made the cut as we were placed on the very last row of the tram. Not the most ideal location for the Catestroph Canyon portion of the tour but it wasn't bad for everything else.

The first portion of the tour is said to give you the best views of the actual former Icon of the Hollywood Studios the Earful Tower. This Mickey themed Water tower though was kind of hard to get a photo of based on the placement of the sun at this time of day. You also pass some older cars and planes that were used in the movie Pearl Harbor.

You then enter a building and pass the Wardrob department where the tour claims costumes are designed and made for movies. However since no movie production takes place at Hollywood Studios I believe I heard they produce the Cast Member costumes for the resort here. They also have more famous costumed lining the tunnel you go thru but I was never able to get a decent picture of any of them.

After exiting the building you pass the first of a set of vehicles that were used in movies such as the Nascar Herby used in the the movie Herby fully loaded. Theres not to many vehicles in this portion of the tour though as its just a brief drive by as you make your way to the primary portion of the Backlot Tour. Catestroph Canyon.

I don't recall going thru the canyon or the back lot tour at all when we came here when I was younger. Kiera didn't remember much of the tour itself however she did remember seeing Catestroph Canyon. This is suppose to be a movie set that takes place in a canyon when disaster strikes. It is very cool to see and hands down the best portion of the Back Lot Tour. However being on the last row of the last car in the Tram you don't exactly get the best viewing of the canyon disaster. You see the rain and the flash flood as well as some of the fire effects but thats about it. Although the Canyon is good and the highlight of the tour you can't help but ask yourself if the land the canyon and entire tour takes up could be put to better use for the the Theme Park.

 

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As you exit the Canyon you will pass the Light, Motor, Action arena and get a good look into and behind it. You will also pass the Private plane that was used by Walt Disney himself and other Disney executives as they traveled from California to view the progress on the "Florida Project".

The final portion of the tour takes you past more movie cars. However the highlights of these vehicles for me were the 2 that were used in the Star Wars films.

As I said earlier I didn't think the tour itself was bad. However it continues to pretend that Hollywood Studios is a working Movie Studio when thats no longer the case. The Backlot tour is worth seeing once but after that you could skip it on future trips as it does take up alot of time. I also think that the land could be used better for the theme parks and hopefully a large expansion will take place here soon.

You exit the trams and tour and enter the American Film Institute exhibit. I don't know if they regularly roatate out this exhibit but at this time it was featuring Villans from movie history. As you walk in the first thing you notice is the Star Wars display featuring the Sith Lords themselves Darth Vader and Darth Maul. Seeing the actual Vader costume really puts into perspective how tall Vader is suppose to be.

As you continue thru the exhibit you will recognize the Red Queen costume from the latest Alice and Wonderland Movie as well as a full size Alien from the Alien series of movies.

Another Disney Display is that from the Pirates of the Caribbean films featuring the Orgin used by Davy Jones and Captain Barbossas costume.

Another Disney film feature is from Enchanted where the Evil Queens costumes are shown. After checking out the exhibit you exit into the Backlot Tour store which carried much of what you'd find elsewhere in the park so we didn't stay here long.

By the time we finished with the Backlot Tour and Villans Exhibit we were hungry. We figured we would just grab dinner at the Backlot express which is located just outside the exit to the Backlot tour but we were suprised to find that it was already closed up for the day. So we decided to walk down Mickey Ave to see if we could find somewhere else to eat.

At the end of Mickey Ave you once again come to Pixar Place. I didn't realize earlier how close Pixar place was to the back of the park. I guess thats because of the odd shape and layout the Studios has as one point only a small portion was open to guests and the theme park. Over the years as Disney shut down actual movie and tv productions in the studios the Theme park slowly moved into those sections now creating the odd layout you see.

After passing thru Pixar Place we found ourselves back out in front of the Sorcerers hat at the end of Hollywood Blvd. We were very hungry now and then I remembered that we were nearby the ABC Commissary. This Counter Service restaurant should have something that we would like to eat for Dinner. Since its located right next to the Great Movie ride it was a short walk from where we were at.

We walked in to the ABC Commissary and were happy to find a very short wait for food. For dinner tonight I decided to get the Angus Cheeseburger and Fried Shrimp while Kiera deciced to do something different and ordered Turkey Sandwich off the kids menu. You might be asking that isn't the Kids menu for kids? Well technically yes but they never questioned anything when I ordered it. It was still a fairly large portion and was plenty of food to fill Kiera up. I also thought the Cheeseburger was very good. The condiment table here also had lots of different options for sauces.

After dinner we made our way back to Sunset Blvd as this would be the area we'd be spending the rest of our night in. We still had 2 Rider Swap cards for the Tower of Terror so that was where we were heading next. It was also now nearing Daniels feeding time again so Kiera would be heading into the Hollywood Tower Hotel first. Plus since she had only rode once today it was just natural that she should go first. She returned fairly quickly and loved the ride once again. Since Daniel was hungry and not enough time to go to the Baby Care Center she decided to go strait to the Hollywood Hills Ampitheater to find us spots and try to feed Daniel there.

 

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It was now my turn for the Tower of Terror again. My now 3rd ride of the day. I entered the Fastpass line using our final Rider Swap card only to find it wouldn't have done me any good ether way. There was litterally NO wait at all in the standby line. I walked strait into the preshow room with no wait and had there been anyone riding standby then they would have done the same thing. After the preshow there was a very short wait in the Boiler room as I probably only waited for 1 elevator before it was my turn to load. This ride turned out to be the best ride I had on the tower all day. The drop sequence I had on this ride seemed longer then the other 2 and it even briefly stopped where the ghosts of the guests appear again before launching back to the top fo the tower. It was the best ride of the night and if I wasn't getting pressed for time I would have ether rode the Tower again or ran back to Star Tours to use the final riderswap card (Kiera never got the chance to ride again) but we had one last thing to do tonight before the park closed. Something that was on our must see list.

That final thing was the show Fantasmic! When I exited the Tower of Terror the show was only 15 minutes away from starting. Kiera had already gone in to find us seats and to try and feed Daniel and she was really easy to find once I got inside the theater as she was sitting strait ahead at the top of the section. However the was much more packed then we expected it to be so she didn't get a chance to feed him until the show started and it was dark. Although he was a little fussy for being hungry there was a little girl sitting next to us that seemed more then happy to entertain Daniel as she loved making him giggle and laugh.

The skys (suprisingly) got dark quickly and the show soon began. This show is suppose to be one of Mickey Mouses dreams that thanks to some of the Disney villains quickly turns into a nightmare. The show stage and arena look top notch. And the show starts off great with Mickey bringing the Water fountains and screens to life with the help of some additional pyrotechnics.

The water screens help transition the show into the next scene that features many Neon colored animals roaming around the mountainous island. It also features some characters from the Lion King. This transitions again into the waterscreen where it seemed like hundreds of bubbles with scenes from Disney's most popular movies float by. The waterscreens are a very neat effect but from where we were sitting they were kind of difficult to see what was on them. I don't know if this is because of how the Screens are designed or if it was just our vantage point of the show.

As the screens go out there now a battle that seems to be taking place on the Island from the movie Pocahontas. This battle is then covered by the waterscreens as some familiar Disney Princesses with there Princes float by dancing the night away on some boats. Those featured here are Ariel and Eric, Belle and the Beast, and Snow White with her Prince.

Mickeys dream up until this point has been happy and exciting but its about to take a turn for the worst. The Evil Queen from Snow White appears and is very upset by the magic mirror (in the waterscreens) tell her that all 3 princes are fairer then her and in Mickeys imagination Love is whats important. Angered by this she creates a spell and brings about Disney's most Vile of Villains. Jafar then sends Mickey into the cave where Mickey battles Jafar in the form of the Snake. Upon finding a Magic Lamp it gets worse for Mickey as now he is face to face with Maleficent in her Dragon form.

The waters are now on fire as Mickey battles the huge Dragon. This portion of the show is pretty amazing and really well done. In an uphill battle against the Villains and a powerful dragon Mickey calls upon his greatest wepon of all to defeat the Villains. His Imagination. He creates a wall of fire and extinguses the flames and then kills the dragon with a sword.

In the Finale a Steamboat comes out being drivin by the Black and White Mickey from the 30's. The Steamboat is packed with all sorts of different Disney Characters and Heros from the film history.

 

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The celebration of Mickey triumphing over Evil concludes amungst a large Display of Pyrotechnics, fireworks, and use of the Fountains. Mickey appears at the highest point of the mountain in his Sorcerers Aprentance outfit amoung the many fireworks going off. Then Poof Mickey vanishes and reapears at the stage level in his regular outfit. He then vanishes again and the show concludes.

I was really impressed with the show. In fact it would end up being my favorite nighttime show out of all the different ones we saw on this trip. I really liked the fact that they mixed in character actors with the fountains and pyro as it really added a new element that none of the other shows had. I now understand why the show is so popular and on so many must see lists. I recommend this show to anyone wanting nighttime entertainment at Disney World. Now I really wanna see the Original Disneylands version as I hear its better then the Hollywood Studios version. Dispite the fact that viewing the show isn't as good.

As the show finished everybody would attempt to leave the theater and park at the same time. To avoid this we decided to wait a little bit longer until the theater was nearly empty before we left. We weren't a big hurry and we'd rather be waiting in the park instead of being stuck in the parking lot or waiting for the tram.

We finally felt the theater had emptied enough and after retrieving the stroller we made our way back to Sunset Blvd. It was much quiter this late at night with the streets much more empty and no sounds of screams coming from the Tower of Terror. Sunset and Hollywood Blvd really look great at night and the Tower of Terror looks especially creepy at night as there really isn't much light illuminated on it.

On the way to the park exit many of the Sunset and Hollywood Blvd shops are still open so we decided to look around some of them before leaving. In the Planet Hollywood Store they actually have multipule props from different movies including the Pink and Yellow Rangers suits from Power Rangers the Movie, a Gremlin, and the Terminators clothing.

As we exited Sunset Blvd and walked on to Hollywood Blvd we decided to stop and get some night photos with the Sorcerers Hat before leaving. Disney of course had multipule Photopass photographers set up. This was the first and only time we saw a Disney CM get snotty with us. I asked if we could get our photo taken and he directed us where to stand. I then handed him our Camera and asked if he would take a photo with that as well. His reply was "Theres now way a photo on your camera is gonna turn out good when its this dark". I told him to take it anyways as my camera does pretty well with night photos. He took the picture looked at it and replyed "Told you it wouldn't turn out good". I took the camera and we made our way to a different Photopass CM. I honestly didn't think the picture was horrible at all. I don't know why the guy seemed so awnery about it.

Before we left the park we took one last look in the main store located at the enterance. Although you get back to the hotel much later we don't mind waiting and spending a little extra time in the parks as it sure beats having to deal with the crowds. Plus the parks look great at night. Its a look that you don't get to spend much time in during this time of year.

We exited the park nearly an hour after it closed for the night. And we were able to catch a tram right away with no wait. The CM speaking to us on the way out to the parking lot was very funny as well as she would say stuff to the people walking and even reminded us that we were on the most popular ride in the park as the majority of everyone will ride it twice (something I would learn to be very true at the Animal Kingdom later in the week). We arrived back at the car and got everything loaded and strapped in and once agian "Crazy Girl" was playing on the radio.

As we exited the parking lot our day at Hollywood Studios was over. I really enjoyed our day here and I think Hollywood Studios might be my favorite park as I found many of my favorite Disney attractions are located within that park. I know it gets a bad rep for there not being much to do or for there not being many child or family rides. But as we proved it is easily a full day park and we still didn't do everything that the park had to offer as we still missed the Indiana Jones Stunt Show, the One Mans Dream exhibit, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Disney Jr. on Stage, and possibly the biggest thing we missed the entire Animation building. This park is every bit as fun as the larger Disney parks. Yes theres many shows compared to rides but thats part of the fun. Disney isn't just about rides. Although the lack of many rides doesn't make it very repeatable. The Magic Kingdom and Epcot are diffenitly more suited for multipule visits during your vacation (dispite Hollywood Studios being a more favorite park). Those other parks are just so much larger that theres even more you miss out on in a 1 day visit. However I think this park is very good and shouldn't be missed if your pressed for days. It will be interesting to see if that opinion changes when Daniels older and we go there.

Back at the Hotel Daniel crashed out fairly quickly and I did as well while I was in the process of sorting thru pictures lol. We had another busy day ahead of us tomorrow. With 2 Disney parks done we now only had 2 left to go on this trip. Where would we end up next? You'll just have to wait and see.

And that conclude Day 6. As always comments and questions are welcomed and a big thanks to all of you still following this review.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Day 7: Magic Kingdom Part 1


As I begin my next installment in this trip report let me first preface that this "Day" might be the longest recap that I do. It will have the most photos shared of a single park and will include a ton of writing as we got alot done in this day. If you havn't read the title yet you could probably guess then that today we will be at the Magic Kingdom. The flagship park at the Walt Disney World Resort. Because this will be the longest recap yet with the most pictures i've decided to spread this day over 4 updates instead of the past 2 or 3 updates seen in my previous recaps. With that said lets move on to the actual recap of Day 7.

This day would once again be an early one. Although we weren't in a rush to be at the park prior to rope drop like we tired for the previous day at Hollywood Studios we still wanted to get to the park as early as we could before the popular rides got major lines. We were up and ready and after grabbing breakfast at the Hotel today we were in the car and on our way to our 3rd Disney park of the trip by 8:45am.

Today upon turning onto World Drive and entering the Disney World Property we would be following it to the nearly the very end of the road. Yes thats right. Today we would be going to the flagship park. The most famous and popular Theme park in the world. The Magic Kingdom.

The roadways around the Disney Property can be pretty confusing. But none more so I don't think then those around the Magic Kingdom area as we've been lost here during past visits as some roads lead to the Theme Park parking lots while other roads lead to the Resorts situated around the Lagoon. However this time when we were actually trying to park at the theme park parking lot we found there to be many signs directing us to where we needed to go.

After passing Disneys Race Track (where the Richard Petty Driving School and Exotic Car Experiance take place. I wish I could have done ether) we pulled into the Heros parking lot. The Magic Kingdom pretty much has two Large lots. Heros and Villains. Its then divided into sub lots from there. Having never parked in the Villans lot though I couldn't tell you which was better to park in. Both were open. We just went followed the signs to the Hero lot.

Once we parked our car and got everything we would need for the day we quickly made our way to the Tram. At the Magic Kingdom the tram will be pretty much a required ride if you drive your own vehicle as the parking lot is located a ways away from the Ticket and Transportation Center. The tram ride takes less the 5 minutes so its not a long ride. The tram operator will also give you a run down of important info about the park that day. You are also reminded that the trams will only run for 1 1/2 hours AFTER park close. So keep that in mind. They also make sure you know to return to the correct tram area once the park closes as the different trams run to the different parking areas.

As we already had our park tickets we would walk right thru the nemorous ticket booths. If you didn't have your tickets yet this is where you could buy them if you were going to only the Magic Kingdom or if you were going there first. Unlike all other Theme Parks though once you pass the ticket booths you are not at the enterance to the park. Infact its still off in the distance.

Your now presented with 2 oppertunities with how to get to the park. You can take the Monorail. Or you could take the Ferry boat. The monorail is the faster way to get there (most the time) however we decided at this time to take the Ferry as we figured it would make for a more exciting approach to the park. Plus the views of the park and surround resorts our excellent from the Ferry. We figured that we would ride the Monorail back once the park closed later that day.

We had a short wait as the Ferry was just about to dock as we walked up to the waiting zone. Before long we were on the boat and we made our way to there very front to watch as we approached the Magic Kingdom. Not only was this our first trip together on the Ferry as a family but it would also be the first time that Daniel ever went on a real boat. To the left hand side you could see Disney's Polynesian and Grand Floridian Resorts. The last time we saw Cinderella Castle was acutally from the beach of the Polynesian back in 2009 as we watched the Fireworks and Water Light parade from it prior to our cruise. Before that though it was 93 for me when I saw the Castle. And Kiera had never really seen the castle as it would be today as when she went in 97 it was decorated as a giant birthday cake.

As we glided across the Lagoon we would soon be passing Disneys Contemporary Resort which I always thought was SO cool as a kid since the Monorail travels thru the center of the Hotel. Not long after that you had a clear view of Space Mountain as well as Cinderella Castle towering over the Magic Kingdom train station. Now if you don't recall Disneyland is considered myself and Kieras "Home" Disney park. I had gone countless times as a child and still enjoy it as an adult. But the parks Icon, Sleeping Beauty Castle, tends to get alot of grief from WDW veterens for the castle being so Small compared to Cinderella Castle. As we approched the park though this was an instance where I prefered the smaller size of Sleeping Beauty Castle. And thats because I hated how you could see Cinderella Castle outside the Park. At Disneyland all you see is the train station. No indication of what lies beyond the Berm. The magic unfolds before you as you walk thru the tunnels on to main street and see the charming castle at the end. Although the approch to the Magic Kingdom is still magical it just didn't have that since of excitment and wonder that the Disneyland park has by not seeing inside the park until you walk thru the tunnels.

We soon disembarked the Ferry and in a few short minutes we would be walking thru the gates to the Happiest Place on Earth (ok maybe the 2nd happiest behind Disneyland). Overhead though on the Monorail tracks something was about to pass that I was really hoping i'd be able to see. The Avengerail. I know its been critized what not if these movie wraps should continue being done or not but I thought it was pretty cool. Of course I'm a geek at heart and love superhero movies so Kiera may have been embaressed to be seen with me as the Avengerail went pass. (By the way the Movie was AMAZING and if you havn't seen it yet you need to).

As we finally walked thru the main gate we found ourselves in a familiar yet different setting. We were in front of the Magic Kingdom train station about to begin our exciting day. Its interesting how similar the Magic Kingdom is with Disneyland however different at the same time. Its kinda like the Disneyland of the Twilight Zone. Its familiar but somethings off. Its a feeling i'm sure those who are most familiar with the Magic Kingdom feels when going to Disneyland for the first time. We had to get a photo first though before heading thru the tunnels and onto main street. I mean how better can we "let the Memories begin" then a photo of our Sons first trip to Disney. We asked another family to take the photo though as there was a long line for the photopass photographer. Although we really liked how the picture turned out there was one problem. She only took the photo of Kiera and I. She didn't put Daniel in the picture. If you ever get stopped to take a photo please be take a photo of the whole family. They will appreciate it much more. Or take multipule pictures even.

On the other side of the tunnel we entered that Magical world of Disney. We were on Main street in the most popular theme park in the world. It was once again a familiar but different feeling as the Magic Kingdoms Main Street seemed much larger and more grand then Disneylands. However I think there was a certain charm about Disneylands Main Street that was missing from the Magic Kingdoms. At the end of Main Street was that once again familiar but different Castle. This time the much taller and more magnificent Cinderella Castle.

As we strolled down Main Street there citizens of Main Street were out performing and welcoming guests to the Park. The main street vehicles were moving by as we walked down this street of amazment. It was almost like walking into Disneyland for the first time all over again. Of course one of the blemishes in the parks on this trip was the giant box and tarp that is covering the Main Street Bakery right now as the fascade is getting a referbishment. Although it somewhat ruins the pictures and views down Main Street I understand that it needs to be done and this type of stuff need to happen before the summer crowds arrive. We took our photo with a Disney photopass person but the photo got this box/tarp in it. Good thing Disney has multipule photographers lining the street so we got a better photo with no tarp just a little further down the street.

We would be heading directly towards the castle as our first destination would lie behind it. That place is Fantasyland. The castle is obviously much different then the one we are use to seeing in California. Instead of small and charming the Castle here is Large and Magnificent. However it fits the park perfectly. Magic Kingdom is much larger then Disneyland and has a much larger Hub and Lands then its sister park. So the Castle here works perfect with the size of the park just like the the Castle at Disneyland worked out perfectly for its parks size. Of course first though we would pass by the "Partners" statue that features Walt Disney with Mickey Mouse. A symbol of this happy place that not only started with a Mouse. But also with that man who took chances when others said it was impossible. We then walked thru the center of the castle and entered a world of Fantasy.

 

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Upon reseaching this trip thru easywdw.com and other Disney World forums it is evident that you should head to Fantasyland first thing as it will get packed quick and stay packed all day long. Although we left for park at 8:45am by the time we walked into Fantasyland it was now nearly 10am. The park had been opened for an hour already and although there were crowds it was nowhere near bad yet (it never really got bad the whole day). The most popular rides in the land are Peter Pan's Flight, Winnie the Pooh, and Dumbo. So first thing we did was walk over to Peter Pan to pull 2 Fastpasses for the ride. Upon pulling the Fastpasses though we also got "Suprise Fastpasses" kicked out to us for Mickey's Philharmagic. Awesome we got Fastpasses for a show that doesn't need Fastpasses. Needless to say we never used these Suprise Fastpasses.

With Peter Pan Fastpasses in hand we made our way to what would be our first ride of the day and one of the other very popular Fantasyland attractions. Winnie the Pooh. We parked the stroller by Philharmagic and then decided to walk down to Winnie the Pooh where we would walk past a large part of the Fantasyland expansion thats currently being built. The first part of this expansion is already open in the Storybook Circus area of Fantasyland. The next phase will see the opening of the Little Mermaid Dark Ride and the Beauty and the Beast Restaurant. The final stage will be the opening of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Coaster. The construction site is fairly massive and it will be pretty neat to see once its all completed in 2014. Although I don't think it will be the Potter beater they want it to be. Many of the Facades of the Fantasyland expansion are finished already including the Beasts castle off in the distance.

Of all the Fantasyland Rides i'd have to say Winnie the Pooh easily had the best facade. When the ride recieved its interactive que the facade was also redone (I believe) and the Tent fascade was gone. In its place was an actual wooded area look complete with the tree that use to be a part of the Winnie the Pooh playground before the area became the Fantasyland expansion. For the ride being a popular one the wait wasn't too bad yet with only a 20 minute wait listed. This would also be the first time we had experianced the Disney Nextgen Interactive ques that are being put in all over Disney World (we have only used the fastpass line at Soarin). I really liked how detailed the kids play area was in the que dispite us never going in the area. It looked like some kids were having fun playing while there parents waited in the section of que that passes the play area. We really liked the items you play with while moving in the que though like the Honeyscreens as Daniel had a blast touching and moving the Honey.

The wait only ended up taking about 15 minutes before we started the ride. This ride takes you on a short dark ride thru a Winnie the Pooh story that I belive is set up on the pages you pass in the que. I wasn't a big Winnie the Pooh fan while growing up but Kiera was. Dispite this I thought the ride was really cute and Daniel really liked looking around at everything. You will probably enjoy the ride much more if your a Winnie the Pooh fan but as for me I think I would have still prefered Mr. Todd who once upon a time occupied this location. However compared to Disneylands Winnie the Pooh ride I thought the Magic Kingdom version was MUCH better. The only exception being no matter how neat or fun the Interactive Que is I liked the outdoor que and loading area in California more.

With Winnie the Pooh out of the way and still time to kill before we could use the Peter Pan Fastpasses we next made our way to the ride located next to Winnie the Pooh. A ride that as of this writting has now been closed for 3 days. That ride was Snow Whites Scary Adventure. On May 31st the ride closed forever as it will be gutted and the space rethemed to be a Princess Meet and Greet Area. The posted wait was the longest we saw at this time in Fantasyland (with the exception of Peter Pan) at 25 minutes. However since we knew the ride would no longer be around next time we return we decided it would be worth the wait. Luck was in our favor though as the wait only was around 15 minutes. This ride difines Classic Disney Dark ride and compared to the Disneyland version is the more superior of the two. It isn't the best Dark ride in the Parks or even Fantasyland but its a ride that will be missed. Yes the ride would be a little redundent with the Mine Train Coaster across the walkway. However its too bad the space is being turned in to another meet and greet location instead of a newer dark ride. It will always be the first ride that Daniel rode that no longer exists.

When we exited Snow White we could tell that Daniel was getting hungry as it was just about his feeding time. However before heading to the Baby Care Center to feed we would be going to Peter Pans Flight. Our Fastpasses could finally be used so we made our way back to use them. Peter Pan is located directly across from Its a Small World and is possibly in the most congested area of the park. The walk way thru these two attractions are very tight and there are strollers parked everywhere.

The posted wait at Peter Pan was I believe 40 minutes so we were pretty happy we had grabbed Fastpasses earlier. In the Fastpass line we waited no longer then 5 minutes before we were boarding our Flying Pirate ship to Neverland. Peter Pan has been one of my Favorite Classic Dark rides since I was a child. I don't know if its the inverted track or what but its always been special to me. And that must be true for others as well as this ride constantly has long waits no matter what Coast your on. This ride was great as usual (perhaps better since we waited so little with Fastpass) however I do think the Disneyland version is better and more superior. Disneylands seems longer with additional scenes and effects. Plus its the original version. Still this ride is one that shouldn't be missed no matter what Magic Kingdom style park you visit. I recommend grabbing a fastpass in Florida so you don't have a long wait. At Disneyland get there early as there is no Fastpass offered there. It will be interested to see what Disney does to the Que here as its rumored to be getting and Interactive Que Makeover in the next few months.

With 2 of the busiest Fantasyland rides out of the way we it was now time for us to leave Fantasyland and go to the Baby Care Center so that Daniel could feed. We walked back thru the Castle and across the Hub to where the Baby Care Center is located. In the Magic Kingdom you will find it located in the Hub next to the Crystal Palace Restaurant. Just outside the Adventureland enterance. The Baby Care Center here in the Magic Kingdom was set up similar to Epcots as strollers are not allowed inside and the Nursing Room is one large room that is shared by multipule people so you will want to have a cover up here. Needless to say I wasn't allowed in the Nursing room though.

 

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Since I couldn't go in the feeding room with Kiera I decided to head over to Tomorrowland to grab us Fastpasses for Space Mountain while she feed. As I made my way thru the Hub though the Celebrate Street Party was going on. During this "Party" many different Disney Characters come out on floats and a dance party takes place in the Hub. Although there were alot of people around watching the party I was able to make my way thru the area fairly quickly. I was actually pretty surpised to See Mr. Incredible and Frozone on one of the Floats.

Although many of the lands in the Magic Kingdom had a familiar layout and vibe as the lands at Disneyland, the Magic Kingdoms Tomorrowland is very different then Disneylands. Although they have similar rides the look and layout of the lands are very, very different. Disneylands Tomorrowland gets critized pretty badly due to the Failure of the 98' Makeover. However I think I prefer it to the more Cartoon feel of the Magic Kingdoms Tomorrowland. Although one things for sure the Magic Kingdoms Tomorrowlands theme seemed to be more cohesive thruout the whole area compared to Disneylands mismash of themes. Plus the Peoplemover is still around here and the Astro Orbitor is up on the Platform where it belongs instead of on the ground blocking traffic flow.

I made my way to the back of the land where Space Mountain is located. It was clear right away how much Larger the Magic Kingdoms Space Mountain is being the original version compared to Disneylands Smaller version. However would it be better? I wouldn't know yet at this time as I was pulling 2 fastpasses for the ride that we would also get Rider Swap for. The ride at the time of pulling the Fastpasses only had a 15 minute wait and with Kiera still feeding I contemplated waiting in standby to ride while Kiera finished. However for some reason I decided against it at this time.

As I walked back to the enterance to Tomorrowland I came across the attraction that I could go on while waiting for Kiera to finish feeding. It was an attraction that I was hisitant about doing. Its an attraction that is widely Hated amoung the Disney fan community. However with it being an attraction that would require a rider swap anyways if we both wanted to do it I figured I would give it a try and judge the attraction for myself. And if it was any good Kiera could then do it later. That attraction would be none other the Stitches Great Escape.

There was literally no wait for the attraction so thats what swayed my direction in going on it. The show I guess takes place during the first movie before Stich escapes. After being directed that you are new prison guards you are sent into a chamber to guard Stich while he is transported. While your watching him he ends up breaking out and causing havoc all thruout the chamber your in before escaping. Well lets first talk about the good things going for the attraction. The Animatronics used in the preshow and Stitch himself are Incredible. Possibly some of most well done Animatronics i've seen in any of the parks. Unfortunatly thats where the good ends. I know this ride replaced the much scarier and adult themed Alien Encounter. Which my Father in Law still raves about and my wife still says it really scared her. Stitch tried to take that technology and make the show more funny instead of scary by using the technology. Unfortunatly it Just doesn't work though and I was bored out of my mind and happy the ride was over. Really you can just skip this ride. Don't bother with it. Spend your time on something more worth while. I'd like to see this technology put back to use for what its original intent was. To give us a scary experiance.

When I finally finished with Stitch Kiera had already finished feeding Daniel and had just entered Tomorrowland. I meet up with her at the enterance and told her that Stitch was something she diffenitly didn't need to do. While walking back into Tomorrowland though we found Push. Push is a trashcan that moves around on his own around Tomorrowland and can often times be hard to find. I thought it would stand out more in appearance but it really does look like a normal trash can that can move around on its own. A neat touch for the land.

Now that I was back in with my Wife and Son and time still to kill before our Space Mountain Fastpasses would be avalible we next went to the Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin attraction. This ride was the first Dark Rider shooter that Disney did. Not only is it here in the Magic Kingdom but theres also a verson of it called Buzz Lightyears Astro Blasters in Disneyland. Leading up to our trip I saw that Buzz could get some longer waits. Heck its an attraction that offers Fastpass. However when we got in line the wait was posted at 5 minutes and thats exactly how long it took until we boarded. While in Line you pass and large Animatronic Buzz that Daniel absolutly went crazy for. I tried getting a photo of both of them in the shot but it Blured. Daniel loved him as i'm sure he thought it was just another character being lifesized and moving and talking.

On this omnimover you board your vehicle and then help Buzz and Space Command defeat the evil emporer Zerg. You have guns attached to your vehicle and shot at targets thruout the ride. Theres even a lever you can use to spin your vehicle around. Last time we went to Disneyland Kiera distroyed my score on this ride however i won this time around. To be fare though Kiera said it seemed her gun wasn't working too well. The ride is alot of fun and one that I wouldn't miss at the Magic Kingdom. I can't decide which version was better though. Although I prefered that the Disneyland version used hand held guns instead of ones attached to the vehicle, if I recall right Disneylands version does not allow you to spin the vehicle yourself. Also it seemed like Disneylands version was all "Cardboard" Cutouts where only some of the Magic Kingdoms were cutouts. Both are good though plus with the more Cartoonish Tomorrowland theme in Florida the ride fits the land much better.

In the exit shop you can view your on ride photo and they have all other sorts of Toy Story merchandise. Theres also a photo spot where you can be captured with Zerg. If you want to meet Buzz Lightyear in the Magic Kingdom you can do so right outside the attraction. Daniel once again got very excited seeing him as we exited the ride. However since we saw Buzz already at Hollywood Studios we didn't wait in line to see him again.

The time was now ready for us to use our Space Mountain Fastpasses so thats the direction we went. We would utilize the same double fastpass/double rider swap plan that we used in Hollywood Studios here again today. Upon walking up to the attraction we asked for a Rider Swap card to use again later as I entered the Fastpass line for the ride. Wow the walk to the loading area is a long walk. I know that Space Mountain is technically located beyond the Berm so thats why the walk is pretty long. It almost reminded me of the long strait shot que of the Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland. There was no waiting in the Fastpass line as I walked almost strait to the loading area. However there also wasn't a very long line for the Standby riders too. At the split point for the 2 tracks I was sent to the Right (sorry i'm not sure which track is which).

Upon boarding the vehicles it was evident that this ride was gonna be very different then the Disneyland version. Instead of the side by side trains in Disneyland the Magic Kingdoms trains you sit front to back in a line like the Materhorn. The Magic Kingdom version also doesn't have onboard audio like Disneylands although there are multipule sound effects that you fly past. Although the jist of the rides are the same where your in small spaceships flying thru dark space thats where the simularities end. The 2 rides use completly different track layouts. It became clear too pretty much by the first turn that I was in for a very rough ride. Space Mountain in the Magic Kingdom rattled me around more then any steel coaster i've been on. This thing is very rough and the small space in the train doesn't help at all. I almost couldn't focus on the effects because this thing was banging me around so badly. It really is that rough. However it did seem like it had some good drops and I did like how the track was laid out. The ride is also a pretty decent length. So is it better then Disneylands? Not in my opinion. Disneylands is much better and very smooth compared to the Magic Kingdoms. The ride is much funner in Disneyland as your not getting beaten up riding the thing and the onboard audio really sets the mood. The Magic Kingdom version is still a very good ride and should not be missed. Just be prepaired to get banged around. Theres not many coasters that I can say gave me a headache. However this one did it. Upon exiting the ride you have another long walk back to the park passing many diaramas on the way there.

When I returned to Kiera I told her that how rough the ride is and that I don't think it was one I would want to ride again immediatly. However I would want to ride again later in the day. Just not right now. Kiera braced herself and before entering the Fastpass line with the 2nd Fastpass we got we asked for another Rider Swap card giving us 2 Rider Swap passes now for Space Mountain that we could use again later in the day. While Kiera was in the ride Daniel and I walked around the Space Mountain area little and even Saw Stitch again out and about. Kiera soon returned and had the exact same reaction to the ride I did as she felt the ride was very rough and also now had a Headache. She still thought it was fun though and also went on the right hand side track. She just wouldn't be up for another major ride for a little while.

And that concludes my first Magic Kingdom update. As I said there will still be 3 more parts to come so stay tuned. As always thanks for following and your questions and comments are welcomed.

 

[Jfstorm]

So glad the MK report is finally here!!! We have 2 more days and we are off on our way to WDW with our 6 1/2 month old and his teen brothers for 13 days total. I have picked up so many useful tips so far. Hope MK is finished by then; because its our likely first stop. We just followed your lead and did Hotwire for a 2 br condo. we got one in Championsgate at exit 58. this will be my first time since I was 8 entering thru the "Main" entrance to world drive. How is the traffic headed that way in the am? it looks like we have to take I4 to exit 62 at least; so want to know how much time to leave if you happen to know.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

So glad the MK report is finally here!!! We have 2 more days and we are off on our way to WDW with our 6 1/2 month old and his teen brothers for 13 days total. I have picked up so many useful tips so far. Hope MK is finished by then; because its our likely first stop. We just followed your lead and did Hotwire for a 2 br condo. we got one in Championsgate at exit 58. this will be my first time since I was 8 entering thru the "Main" entrance to world drive. How is the traffic headed that way in the am? it looks like we have to take I4 to exit 62 at least; so want to know how much time to leave if you happen to know.

Thanks. I'm glad somebody was looking forward to hearing about it. Unfortunatly with how much info I have to share I don't think the whole Magic Kingdom update will be completed before you start your vacation. However if you have any questions that I havn't answered yet then please feel free to ask. I'd be happy to give any advice of tackling the parks with an Infant that I can. Even if I havn't got to or finished that parks update yet.

We never encountered bad traffic on Disney Property. Exit 62 was the highway that lead to our Hotel and will also have a large intersection with World Drive before passing onto Disney Property. Once you get on World Drive though and pass thru the Disney World Gate you are looking at a 3-5 minute drive to Hollywood Studios, 7-10 Minute Drive to Epcot, 12-15 Minute Drive to Magic Kingdom. However I'm not sure how long the drive is to Animal Kingdom going that route as it was literally down the street from our hotel so we took a back road to get there.

Anyways I hope you have a wonderful vacation and that you find the parks as easy to handle with an Infant as we did. Please let me know if theres anything else you want to know.

 

[jannel80]

I am really enjoying reading your posts and have been geting some good ideas for you. We will be heading to DW in Feb. with a 6 month old as well as a 5 and 6 year old. I had no idea we could get fatspasses and then ask for Rider Swap passes. Did any of the CM's give you trouble getting one and then going into the Fastpass lane or askng for a second Rider Swap a little later on? This is such a great idea! Can't wait to read the rest of your MK updates!

 

[Teknik_DC2]

I am really enjoying reading your posts and have been geting some good ideas for you. We will be heading to DW in Feb. with a 6 month old as well as a 5 and 6 year old. I had no idea we could get fatspasses and then ask for Rider Swap passes. Did any of the CM's give you trouble getting one and then going into the Fastpass lane or askng for a second Rider Swap a little later on? This is such a great idea! Can't wait to read the rest of your MK updates!

Yep the Fastpass & Rider Swap combo works great. What most people do though is use the combo to hold multipule Fastpasses at one time. For example if your walk down Sunset Blvd you could grab 1 Fastpass for Tower of Terror and 1 Fastpass for Rockin Roller Coaster. This gives you 2 fastpasses for attractions close to one another. Then when your time is ready to ride you can get the Rider Swap card as well basically giving both Parents to the Fastpass line while only having 1 fastpass for the attraction. Then you go to the 2nd attraction you have Fastpass for and do the same thing. Does that make since?

We just started doing the 2 Fastpass/2 Rider Swaps if we knew we would likely want to go on the attraction more then once. Of course this ment we could only hold a Fastpass for 1 ride at time like guests not using Rider Swap. We never ran into a problem getting a 2nd Rider Swap card though as we found the line CM's would switch out while one of us was in the Attraction so it was somebody different we were asking for a Rider Swap Card from. Just keep in mind this method ONLY works if you already have Fastpass cards for the attraction.

Anyways I hope that helps answers your questions.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Day 7: Magic Kingdom Part 2


Having both been shaken up by our rides on Space Mountain we decided that it would probably be best to not do any more thrill rides for a little while. We were also getting hungry by this point so we decided to do one last Tomorrowland Attraction before finding some food.

That ride is one that is very mild and no longer exists in Disneyland. The ride is the Peoplemover and it literally had Zero wait. We walked right up the speed ramps and right into the ride vehicle. It was pretty nice to just sit back and relax as we took in the sights of Tomrrowland.

For those not familiar with the People Mover the ride vehicles move along an elevated Plateform thruout Tomorrowland taking you above and even thru many of the lands attractions. Upon loading you move out into the center of the land before turning and traveling above the Stitch attraction. You now find yourself at the enterance of Tomorrowland where you get your first elevated glimpse of the Hub and Cinderella Castle.

As you enter the building that Houses Stitch you will pass a diorama of Walt Disney's version of E.P.C.O.T. When it was designed to be a prototype city instead of a Theme Park. You also pass another diorama scene before exiting back out into Tomorrowland above the Startraders store. In the distance you can see where you boarded the Peoplemove with the Astro Orbitor set atop the plateform where it Belongs (hello Disneyland!!!!). You then head out and over part of the Tomorrowland Speedway before entering the largest Tomorrowland attraction Space Mountain. Obviously with how dark Space Mountain is I wasn't able to get any photos inside. However it was kind of neat to see the effects and hear the rockets zip past you.

After exiting Space Mountain you again travel over the Speedway before the track turns and travels in front of Space Mountain. You then enter and travel around the Carossel of Progress before now being out in front of Tomorrowland facing the Hub. Although its not long this portion of the peoplemover will give you the best Glimpse of the rest of the park. The ride then travels above the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor before returning to the loading area. The peoplemover is a fun little ride if you need a break for a little bit. Its nice to sit and relax and rest your feet. Plus it adds that Kenitic Energy that makes the land feel active. Its sad that Disneylands no longer exists and that the rides thrill ride replacement was nothing but a Bust and also no longer exists meaning the tracks just sit thruout Tomorrowland dormant as a reminder of what once was. Tomorrowland in California really needs something back on those tracks and put the Astro Orbitor back up on the plateform. Although the Peoplemover in Florida may not be conisdered a must do its nice to take a break from the losts of walking you'll do.

Having finished the Peoplemover it was now time to find something to eat for Lunch. We were starving and I remembered that theres a decently rated Quick Service location here in Tomorrowland. Its even located in the direction we would be heading next. So we went to Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe that offered many different options for food depending on what we were in the mood for. Kiera decided to get Grilled Chicken Sandwich while I decided to get the Barbeque Pork Sandwich. We thought both sandwiches were very good and filled us up before continuing on with the park. The location of Cosmic Rays is right across from the enterance to the Tomorrowland Speedway.

With our Stomachs full and Daniel now crashed out asleep for his first Nap of the day I pulled out my phone to check to Touringplans app to decide where to go next. Upon seeing that Pirates of the Caribbean was down at the moment we decided to wait to go to that area of the park. Instead we decided to just continue on into Fantasyland and finish the attractions that we had not yet done. Approching Fanasyland from Tomorrowland the first ride you come to is the Teacups. However before riding we decided to head back into a corner of Fantasyland that is for now secluded from the Rest of Fantasyland due to the Fantasyland expansion. Infact this area is the first part of the Expansion to open. The Storybook Circus.

Right now all thats open in the Storybook Circus is Dumbo and the Barnstormer. And Dumbo isn't even finished yet as its not only getting an Interactive que but theres also going to be a duplicate Dumbo Spinner giving it the nickname thruout the fan community as the Dueling Dumbos. However we would not be riding Dumbo this day. Infact we didn't ride any of the attractions that are currently open in the Storybook Circus. Dumbo had a 25 minute wait which is far too long in our opinion for a simple spinner ride and the Barnstormer kiddie coaster was also at 25 minutes wait. So we just walked thru the area to see the details. I must say if all the details in the Fantasyland expansion are as great as Storybook Circus then it will turn out great. The restrooms and trainstation turned out great as well as the minor circus themeing you will find thruout that add to the experiance (such as the peanuts in the concrete). The only portion not open yet in Storybook Circus (besides the 2nd dumbo) is the Casey Jr. play area. After looking around and deciding there was nothing we wanted to wait for we headed back out.

And we went right to the attraction that we passed while heading into the Storybook Circus. The Teacups! Heres a little story for you as to why this ride on the Teacups was somewhat special for Kiera. When she visited with her Family back in 97' she would have been almost 10 years old. She wanted to ride the Teacups very badly. However her Mother decided against going on the Teacups to take her 1 year old brother on "Its a Small World" again and again. She never got to go on the Teacups that trip. As we approched she asked if we could go on the Teacups. To joke with her about her previous trip I told her "No, We Can't. We have to go take Daniel on Its a Small World instead". We laughed about it and then got in line for the Teacups that had a posted 10 minute wait. We waited about 3 minutes as we got on the next cycle. Yes Daniel was asleep so he didn't even know what was going on. And from our visit to Disneyland in 2008 we learned that our bodys just can't take the teacups spinning as fast as possible. So we took it easy and just spun them a little bit. Kiera finally got her Teacup ride at the Magic Kingdom.

With the Teacups done and not having an interest in the Storybook Circus attractions the only Fantasyland attractions that we had left on our list were Philharmagic and Its a Small World. We decided against Philharmagic at this time as we decided to get all the ride based attractions done before doing the show based ones. And since Daniel was sound asleep still we wanted to wait to do Small World when he was awake. As we walked thru Fantasyland and past Winnie the Pooh we found that the attraction had broke down and closed until it was fixed. "Well thats not very Disney like now is it".

 

[Teknik_DC2]

As we walked thru Fantasyland and with Daniel asleep we decided we would do the next ride we came to. One that is considered by many (including myself) to be one of the best Disney rides ever created. The Haunted Mansion. It is located just outside Fantasyland in the Liberty Square section of the park. However when we arrived at the Haunted Mansion the CM was announcing to everyone that the Ride was closed for Technical Problems and the Que was being evacuated. This was now the 3rd ride we had seen today that had closed for technical issues. So once again "Well thats not very Disney like now is it". We continued walking on thru Liberty Square befor passing over into the next section of the park.

The next Section is Frontierland which seems to be much larger and more well done then the Disneyland version. In Disneyland with the exception of Big Thunder Mountain and the Thunder ranch area Frontierland is almost a blink and you miss it type thing. Its tiny in Disneyland and I hope the rumors of an expansion there are true. Frontierland in the Magic Kingdom has not only Thunder Mountain as a major ride but also Splash Mountain. Which is right where we were heading.

I must first appologize to everyone for Thunder Mountain being closed for Referb the last few months. As I talked about in my Epcot update about Test Track being Kieras cursed ride Thunder Mountain seems to be my Curse ride. When we went to Disneyland in 2008 the ride was closed while we were there. And now in 2012 on the other side of the country the ride is also closed for referb (and don't get me started on the rumors of it possibly being closed again at Disneyland when we go this winter). So Sorry everyone. As for Splash Mountain we wouldn't be riding quite yet. The wait was posted at 50 minutes so We pulled 2 Fastpasses for the ride to come back to.

We walked into the next area of the Park Adventureland and more specifically the Caribbean Plaza area of the land. We would be heading to another one of the greatest Disney rides ever made. One that is a Must do no matter which Magic Kingdom style park you visit. Yes I'm talking about Pirates of the Caribbean. The ride was closed earlier in the day however by the time we finally arrived to it the ride was back up and running and best of all there was only a 10 minute posted wait.

With the stroller parked we entered the ride and it became clear right away that this version of Pirates of the Caribbean would be different then the Original Disneyland Version. First off is the Que for the ride which is much longer and better in WDW. Instead of a fairly generic Que with photos of famous pirates on the wall the Magic Kingdoms Que takes you thru like a fortress tunels and what not. The themeing and duel loading is much better for here then in Disneyland.

HOWEVER........ Thats the only area of the attraction where the Magic Kingdoms version is better. This version of Pirates is a trimed down version of the Original Disneyland ride. There is no floating thru the Bayou. Because of this theres also no Blue Bayou restaurant which seems to be one of the neatest aspects of the Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean. Then theres the drops. Where there was only 1 small drop in the Magic Kingdom, Disneylands version has 2. The scenes were much longer at Disneyland and it even seemed like some scenes were left out of the Magic Kingdom version meaning that Disneylands ride is not just more exciting but its also alot longer. So i'm sure i've made it pretty obvious that I prefer the Original Disneyland version MUCH better then the Magic Kingdom version. But that doesn't mean the Magic Kingdom version is bad. This is still one of the best rides in the park and as a true Disney classic it should be a Do not miss for anybody going to the park. They really don't make attractions like this any more and although the additions of Jack Sparrow seem to make alot of people upset still its something that doesn't bother us. And although Daniel woke up right before the ride started in the dark tunnels he did perfectly fine on this farely dark attraction.

As we exited Pirates of the Caribbean right across the way the Pirate Tutorial show was taking place. We stopped and watched for a moment and this show reminded me alot of the Jedi Training Academy but on a smaller scale. It looked like only about 6 kids were selected to do the Pirates Tutorial instead of many. The show is basically Jack Sparrow teaching kids how to be Pirates and is pretty fun to watch. Of course the show really crowded the walkways so we had to cut thru the stroller parking (we already retrieved ours) to get thru. While passing thru though we found the true definition of an "Umbrella" stroller.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Our Splash Mountain Fastpass time had finally become avalible by the time we exited Pirates but we were gonna grab some Fastpasses for nearby attraction before heading back. And since it was located so near by to Pirates it would just be a quick grab. So to the Jungle Cruise we went and I pulled 2 fastpasses for the ride. Since it was showing a 35 minute wait anyways Fastpass would work out great for us. However this would be reminder to me to always pay attention to make sure you pull your park ticket back out of the machine after getting your fastpass. I forgot to and had a minor freakout when I realized it was missing thinking I dropped it on the ground somewhere. Luckly I realized before we left the Jungle Cruise Fastpass area and when I went back to the machine I found it still sticking out. We felt like high rollers currently holding 2 fastpasses for Jungle Cruise, 2 fastpasses for Splash Mountain, 2 Rider Swap cards for Space Mountain, and our 2 Suprise Fastpasses for Philharmagic.

We walked back thru Adventureland and to the back of Frontierland where we arrived back at Splash Mountain. The ride that I consider to be my Favorite of all Disney rides. Although i've grown up with the Disneyland version the WDW version was open when my family went in 93'. Although other then the log seating being arranged differently I didn't remember what else was different. Of course just by looking at the two mountains you can tell that both are designed slightly diffrently. I also don't know if its true or not but the Disneyland version looks steeper and taller then the Magic Kingdom version. We walked up to the Fastpass enterance where we got a Rider Swap card and then I went into the Que while Kiera waited outside with Daniel. Not knowing how wet I could possibly get though I left the Camera with Kiera just to be safe.

The standby wait when I entered the Fastpass was still at over 45 minutes but I only waited about 5 before I was boarding the Log. I was in the backrow and I had it all to myself. Unlike Pirates of the Caribbean though where I liked the Disneyland Version more this is one ride that the Magic Kingdom got right as this version of Splash Mountain is much better then the Original. The ride is longer thanks to longer outdoor sections and additional show scenes inside. Although the Original Disneyland version does have many more Animatronics as it got the leftovers from the America Sings attraction. There also seemed to be more smaller drops inside the ride then at Disneyland. The drop was as great as ever however I still think the Disneyland version is steaper. Still I didn't even get wet whatsoever on this ride which i'm sure it probably because I was in the back row. Kiera was watching for me and I waved as I floated past. Although Splash Mountain may be a simple Log Flume to this day it still remains my Favorite Disney attraction. This version being the top of my list. Do not miss this ride when visiting the Magic Kingdom.

When my ride was over I meet Kiera back out front and taking Daniel it was now her turn to ride. However we completly forgot to get a 2nd Rider Swap card like we have done on many attractions prior. I think it may have been because Daniel started showing signs of being hungry so we were in somewhat of hurry. As Kiera rode the ride Daniel and I waited for her on the bridge in front of the main drop. I hoped to get a photo of Kiera as she came down the drop. I photographed a few logs prior to get an idea of when would be the best time to capture the picture. And then as I was adjusting the camera for her picture a log came down and I missed it. Yep turns out that was the log she was on. So much for my plan lol.

As Daniel and I walked towards the Splash Mountain exit to wait for Kiera I found that this was the meet and greet location for Winnie the Pooh and Tigger. Although I was never a big Winnie the Pooh fan Kiera was and so we knew we needed to take Daniel to see them. With his love for characters anyways this was a no brainer lol. The line didn't seem very long at the time and dispite Daniel starting to get hungry I got in line anyways. Kiera saw us as she exited the ride and joined us in what turned out to be the longest wait we had for Characters this whole trip. It of course was worth the wait though to see Daniels reactions to the characters. It was pretty funny because at first Daniel didn't want anything to do with Winnie the Pooh. He only cared about Tigger. However after some time he warmed up a little to Pooh and we got some cute photos. Although he was nothing but smiles and giggles for Tigger.

Although when we finished with the Characters our Fastpass window for our Jungle Cruise fastpasses opened up this was once again an instance where caring for an Infant would change our attraction plans as Daniel was very hungry now and was making it known. So instead of heading to the Jungle Cruise we would bypass it, never use the Fastpasses we pulled, and head to the Baby Care Center located in the Hub so that he could feed.

And that is all for todays update. Halfway done with our Magic Kingdom day now. Stay tuned for the Final 2 updates and as always please feel free to leave any questions or comments.

 

[Imagineer5]

Fantastic updates! Love seeing all the pics around MK! And also of the FL expansion. Danny's expressions with the characters are so cute, and I especially liked the one on TTA with mouth wide open - Aria does that all the time and I love it!

 

[khertz]

I'm really enjoying your MK updates! Danny looks like he's having the best time with the characters. My DS was pretty partial to Tigger too when we took him to Crystal Palace last year when he was 12 months old. I don't know what it is about Tigger that has the little ones go crazy!

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Fantastic updates! Love seeing all the pics around MK! And also of the FL expansion. Danny's expressions with the characters are so cute, and I especially liked the one on TTA with mouth wide open - Aria does that all the time and I love it!

haha yeah when he first started smiling he would just do the mouth wide open look. Obviously he still does it but not nearly as much. Even though only 1 month has passed since this vacation ended his smile has become much more defined.

I'm really enjoying your MK updates! Danny looks like he's having the best time with the characters. My DS was pretty partial to Tigger too when we took him to Crystal Palace last year when he was 12 months old. I don't know what it is about Tigger that has the little ones go crazy!

Yeah he loved Tigger much more then Pooh. The only reason we could come up with is because of Tiggers Bright Orange color. Perhaps thats also why he loved the Lorax so much as well.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Day 7: Magic Kingdom Part 3


To get to the Baby Care Center we walked thru the remaining part of Adventureland that we hadn't walked thru yet. In additon to the Caribbean area and the Tropical area themed like the Polynesian Islands there is also and Arabian designed section that feartures the Flying Carpets of Aladdin attractiong which is just a larger version of the Dumbo Spinner. We never did do the Flying carpets as just like Dumbo we didn't really have a desire to do any of the Spinners.

We finally arrived back in the Hub and from the enterance to Adventureland it was a very short walk over to the Crystal Palace and the Baby Care Center that is located next to it. We also noticed some travel film was being filmed on the grass in front of the castle. While Kiera went in to feed Daniel I used the Restroom real quick and also walked over to Casey's Corner to get a cup of Ice water (which are free. You just have to ask for it).

With Kiera feeding Daniel and myself not being allowed in the Large Nursing Room that is shared by multipule Women I decided to take the Rider Swap Card we got and go back to Ride Splash Mountain again. On my way back to Splash though I again stopped by the Jungle Cruise and pulled 2 Fastpasses for it again since Kiera and I never got to use the Original ones that we pulled. They would come active right around the time that Kiera would finish Feeding Daniel. If you look for them theres also some shortcuts from Adventureland into Frontierland. The one I used to get me to Splash Mountain the quickest was located behind the Flying Carpets of Aladdin ride and dumps you out in Front of the Country Bear Jamboree in Frontierland. From there it was a short walk along the Rivers of America to Splash Mountain.

Having not gotten wet on my previous ride on Splash Mountain I decided to take the Camera with me on the ride. I entered the Fastpass line using the Rider Swap card and within 5 minutes I was boarding my log. I again had the row to myself but this time I sat on the 2nd row instead of the back. This ride was just as great as my first and it continues to be my favorite Disney Ride. I really don't know what I love about it so much but it is just so much fun. The outdoor portion of the ride obviously made for much better photos then the inside. You also can get some great views of Frontierland from the ride.

However with the photos I was trying to take on the ride the one I was most excited to get was as we were going down the main drop into the Brier Patch as I not only got the photo but I was able to get the camera put away and coverd before our picture was taken. Sitting closer to the front though ment that I did get a little wet on this ride though although it wasn't bad at all.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Splash Mountain is a fairly long ride so keep that in mind. By the time I walked from the Baby Care Center to Splash, waited in line, and rode the ride Kiera had just about finished feeding Daniel. After a phone call to her I told her to meet up with me at the Jungle Cruise as the new fastpasses I pulled were now avalible to use. This was also the first time of the trip that I saw the religous sky writter above Disney World. We saw this same guy last year when we were at Epcot. His message today was the Jesus 4 Gives. Thanks thats good to know. I walked back to Adventureland the Same way I went to Splash Mountain so as I reentered the Arabian Area again I found Aladdin and Jasmine out meeting guests. Out in Front of the Flying Carpets I timed it just right as Kiera was just walking into the area.

Now that we were reunited again we made out way over to the Jungle Cruise to finally ride that classic attraction. The Standby line was still showing a wait of 35 minutes but with our Fastpasses we practically walked on to the ride. We soon boarded our boat and journey into the jungles of the World began. I forget how corney but funny the Skippers can be as it seemed even more so here in Florida then it did at Disneyland. Still some of the things he said are pretty funny. Although we had a pretty lame boat and nobody really ever laughed.

This classic boat ride was one of the Disneyland/Magic Kingdom original attractions that opened with the park. Your live guide takes you a jouney thru the jungles of the world as you encounter different Animatronic Animals and people. Although the scenes in the ride are similar on each coast one thing that became very evident is that the Magic Kingdoms version is larger and longer then Disneylands. Although I did notice here in the Magic Kingdom the Animatronic Hippo was not shot like it is in Disneyland. Could the Save the Animatronics Hippo movement actually be working?

After passing the amazing Backside of Water you enter a feature unique to the Magic Kingdoms version as you enter a building and cave on your trip around the world. I thought this was really cool and gave a sinse of fear to the ride. Overall the ride although not the most thrilling ride on the property is still a Disney classic that should be checked out. I would diffenitly say do the added length and cave scene the Magic Kingdom version of the ride is better then the Disneyland version.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

With the Jungle Cruise finished there was now one attraction left in Adventureland that we would walk thru. On the way to it though we had to stop at the Tiki statues to get a photo. As you will see I am picking one of the tikis noses. This photo was taken because Kiera has the exact same picture of her dad doing it on her trip in 97' so it is kind of becoming a tradition lol.

That final Adventureland attraction that we had to do was the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. This was an attraction that was always very special to me when I was young. There was always something about climbing up and walking thru the treehouse that was so cool when I was a kid. It was something my parents always took us into. Unfortunatly that experiance no longer exists at Disneyland. Yes the treehouse is still there but its been remodeled and is now the Tarzans Treehouse. You no longer feel like your walking thru the Swiss Family Robinson's home where they have welcomed you in for tour. Instead your passing scenes from the Trazan movies complete with large plastic figures of the characters.

So needless to say it was nice to walk thru the original treehouse again. Now the Tarzan version isn't bad. It just isn't as good as it use to be. And walking thru this treehouse was a reminder to how awesome the Disneyland version use to be. It also brought back many good memories of my childhood running thru those treehouses. The views of Adventureland and even the hub are also great from the top of the Treehouse.

Although all the attractions that we wanted to see in Adventureland were now finished there was one last thing we had to get prior to leaving the area. None other then the classic Dole Whips. Now I don't like Pinapple at all. I dispise it and think its nasty. However when we went to Disneyland in 2008 Kiera got me to try one and to my suprise I absolutly loved the Dole Whip. So it was on our must have list on this trip as we hadn't had a true version of the frozen treat since our Disneyland version nearly 4 years earlier. I ordered myself a regular Dole Whip while Kiera decided to get the Dole Whip Float which is a Dole Whip in Pineapple juice. We also thought they were pretty affordable too. If you havn't tried one yet you need to. Its like a must do for us now whenever we visit a Magic Kingdom style park.

With Dole Whips in hand we started walking towards the attractions that we still hadn't done yet that were on our list. We exited Adventureland back into the Hub but then turned back into Liberty Square. If you havn't guessed yet we are making our way back over to the Hunted Mansion that was broken down when we passed thru earlier. We stopped and sat for a moment though to finish of our Dole Whips before riding. While sitting Kiera decided to give Daniel a bite of the Dole Whip. Since they are Dairy free and he has already started eating Fruit baby food we figured it would be fine. And he absolutly loved it. He had somewhat of a suprised look on his face at first but then went crazy for it each bite he got. It was pretty funny.

Once we finished the Dole Whips we parked the stroller and entered the Haunted Mansion graveyard. A few months ago an Interactive Que was also installed here at the Haunted Mansion. However we decided to skip it and with a 5 minute wait posted we walked right into the stretching room just as the show was about to start.

After the stretching room you enter a hallway where you wait prior to boarding you Doombuggy. You then begin a tour of this haunted and sometimes humorous Mansion gonig from room to room and seeing all sorts of paranormal activity along the way from the 999 happy ghosts. Upon entering the graveyard section of the ride our vehicle did slow to stop and then the overhead announcements came on telling everyone to remain seated. Knowing the ride was broken down earlier I expected the worst but luckly it started up again very quickly. A few years ago this ride got some effects upgrades and I must say the new Hitchhikeing ghost effect is really cool. Instead of the ghosts just sitting in the doombuggy with us the Ghost actually took Kiera an mines heads and moved them around. A pretty neat effect.

So of course as with most rides so far how does the Magic Kingdom version of the Haunted Mansion compare to Disneylands? Well I do prefer the Magic Kingdoms facade to that of Disneylands. But I do enjoy Disneylands stretching room more as it acts as an actual elevator taking you to the doombuggys. However the last time I rode the actual Disneyland Haunted Mansion was way back in 95'. Yes nearly 17 years ago. When we went to Disneyland in 08' it was during Christmas so the Haunted Mansion was done up as the Nightmare before Christmas Haunted Mansion. Although this holiday makeover is pretty cool I can say that I prefer the original version more. And from what I remember I prefer the Magic Kingdom of the Haunted Mansion to the Original Disneyland version. The new effects just put it over the top for me. This ride is once again a Disney Classic and one that should not be missed whenever your in the park.

With the Haunted Mansion done and out of the way we only had 2 more attraction left on the list. Both of which we skipped earlier while Daniel was taking a nap and reside in Fantasyland. And seeing how we were right next to Fantasyland thats the direction we went.

And that concludes this update. Sorry its the shortest one yet for our Magic Kingdom day but the 4th and Final update of this day will be the longest. Stay tuned and as always feel free to ask any questions that you might have.