Magic Kingdom? I Think I Know My Way Around Magic Kingdom! WDW January 2023 TR **COMPLETE** 9/4 x4

Day 2 Continued: Sunday January 22nd

After lunch, we saw that there were some of the Donald’s Dino-Bash characters out and they didn’t have long waits, so we hopped in line first to see Daisy Duck.


Daisy loved that she had her own spot with her picture to sign in DD’s autograph book!


After Daisy, we went over to the next trail to meet Chip & Dale.


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The Chips loved seeing themselves in her book even more!


We decided to meet up with the rest of the family at the Safari to use our 12:30 LL together.


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The line was maybe an hour posted wait, but we waited about 15 minutes with our LL. We were sat in the two back rows of the jeep, so I warned Nanny to make sure DN was secure since the back is SO bumpy!!


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DN is always very excited to see his big cousins!


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We got to see the zebras and giraffes take off at a sprint.


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Day 2 Continued: Sunday January 22nd


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We got to see a baby white rhino!


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Our Safari was overall really good! We didn’t see any hippos, and I’m forgetting which other area we passed where there are usually animals, but there weren’t any at the time. But we got to see a lot of giraffe activity, the baby rhino, and the elephants walking around. The lions and cheetahs were being a bit lazy, but I’m sure they were just enjoying the pleasant weather!

After the ride since we were right there, we decided to check out the Gorilla Falls Trail.



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The female gorillas were pretty wound up, and even got into a fight while we were watching them!


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DS caught a video of it on his phone:


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The last thing we wanted to do in AK was see Festival of the Lion King. We got in line at 1:40 pm for the 2 pm show and were some of the last people to make it inside, so we were sitting up near the top of our section. While we were doing that, we were able to book another LL so we scheduled one for Toy Story Mania at 3:40 pm. I didn’t put it in my notes, but earlier we had also been able to schedule one for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, maybe once we used our Safari one?

It’s been awhile since we have seen Festival of the Lion King, so we were all looking forward to this one! DD was excited to see the tumble monkeys doing all of the gymnastics stuff she enjoys.



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Once the show was over, we were about ready to head out of the park for the day. But I really wanted to stop for some Photopass photos in front of the Tree of Life.


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We got in line and started with the 4 of us, planning for the rest of the family to join in for some of us all together, then we would hop out so they could get some together.


However, right after those photos were taken, the photographer’s camera totally died!!! DH took some photos of the rest of us on my dad’s camera, and then some of just the three of them and DN, so they would have some in front of the Tree too, but we didn’t feel like waiting for the photographer to come back out so we started towards the exit.

DH and DS broke off from us for a few minutes because DS really really wanted one of the Banshee shoulder pets, so they went back to Pandora to grab that while the rest of us went to the front of the park and stopped by guest services to see if anyone had turned in DN’s missing shoe.



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By the time all of that was done, we caught up together to walk over to the bus stop so we could head over to DHS. With this bonus and unexpected Genie+, it was really awesome to be walking into the park with 4 LLs already booked! All we had thought originally we’d be able to do would be RotR and some of the shows or character meets!

I'll get to our fun DHS evening in the next updates.
 
Wow, what an amazing time at AK, you did so much! I love the pictures of the chipmunks and that area, haven't been back that way in ages so didn't realize all the cute details they have there!
 
Great family photos. The pictures from the Safaris are really good. So many active animals. I know the cheetahs weren't moving around, but at least you could see them. They are usually way in the corner hiding.
 
Wow, what an amazing time at AK, you did so much! I love the pictures of the chipmunks and that area, haven't been back that way in ages so didn't realize all the cute details they have there!
We did do a lot, but I wish we'd had time to do even more! With so many headliners we wanted to do at other parks, I was really bummed about the minimal time we were able to spend at AK. I hope to remedy that on our next trip!

I absolutely LOVE the Dino-Bash meet & greets. They are so cute, especially the Chipmunks! It's a great addition to Dinoland.
Great family photos. The pictures from the Safaris are really good. So many active animals. I know the cheetahs weren't moving around, but at least you could see them. They are usually way in the corner hiding.
Thank you! We did have a great Safari, despite some of the animals not being out. It was years before I even realized there were cheetahs on the Safari, so this was definitely one of the best views we've had of them!
 
Wow! I agree you took some really great pictures! I haven't seen the Dino-Bash meet and Greets before. They are really cute. Thanks for taking the time to share.
 
We got to see the zebras and giraffes take off at a sprint.
Who forgot to close the lion enclosure?
The lions and cheetahs were being a bit lazy, but I’m sure they were just enjoying the pleasant weather!
Cats being cats, I guess.
The last thing we wanted to do in AK was see Festival of the Lion King. We got in line at 1:40 pm for the 2 pm show and were some of the last people to make it inside, so we were sitting up near the top of our section. While we were doing that, we were able to book another LL so we scheduled one for Toy Story Mania at 3:40 pm. I didn’t put it in my notes, but earlier we had also been able to schedule one for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, maybe once we used our Safari one?
You guys really had a great morning! Got a LOT done and able to grab a few LL for the next park already. Not bad at all. I hate the extra cost of Genie+, but it is nice when you can use it to your advantage like that. And especially nice if it is a free add on.
 
Wow! I agree you took some really great pictures! I haven't seen the Dino-Bash meet and Greets before. They are really cute. Thanks for taking the time to share.
Aww, thank you! The photos are all thanks to DH! I couldn't do it without him!!

The meet & greets are kind of off the beaten path, which makes them easy to miss, but then they also aren't usually all that busy either which is nice. We have always had good luck meeting the Chipmunks back there without a long wait because I'm sure most people just walk on by.
Who forgot to close the lion enclosure?

Cats being cats, I guess.

You guys really had a great morning! Got a LOT done and able to grab a few LL for the next park already. Not bad at all. I hate the extra cost of Genie+, but it is nice when you can use it to your advantage like that. And especially nice if it is a free add on.
HA! Right! That's what it seemed like for sure, they were spooked!

It definitely sucks spending money on something that used to be entirely free, but we were lucky that we went when it was priced pretty low. The bonus day was GREAT, and helped us accomplish so much more!
 
Day 2 Continued: Sunday January 22nd

The bus to DHS showed up right as we were walking up to the stop, which was perfect timing! In no time, we were walking into DHS. DS was super excited to show off his new Banshee friend that he eventually named Waffles.



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Our Runaway Railway and TSM LLs were mostly overlapping, and TSM would expire first so that’s where we went first.


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DD loves playing UNO and using what she calls “tricky cards,” so she immediately saw the big Wild card and wanted her photo with it.


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DD and I rode together, but I didn’t get photos of our scores. DD was actually pretty impressive with her accuracy percentage, which was almost always better than mine! But of course, DH had the highest score in our vehicle.


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After that, we were able to walk over to use our Runaway Railway LL before it expired. We were all very excited for this one, as it was a brand new ride for all 8 of us!


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Because he was shoeless, DN hadn’t been able to do much walking outside, so this line was a perfect indoor place for him to stretch his legs a little until we got into the pre-show room!


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Since it was a new ride for us, you can bet DH took a LOT of photos!!


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We all absolutely LOVED this ride! While I was sad to see The Great Movie Ride go away, this is a really great replacement ride! And we loved that it was something we could all do together. The trackless ride system works so great here, and the Daisy’s dancing school room was really fun!
 
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Day 2 Continued: Sunday January 22nd

After this ride, we were able to book another LL so we booked one for Smuggler’s Run that we could use before our RotR LL return time. Then we walked back over to Toy Story Land so we could use our Slinky Dog Dash LL. We also had to set up a Rider Switch this time. The kids agreed that it was ok for DS to be the one who got to ride twice. Nanny sat out with DN while the rest of us got in line.


After the ride, while DS and Nanny went on for their ride, DD did some cartwheels.


While they were riding, we started a mobile order for dinner at Backlot Express. Nanny wanted to get DN a grilled cheese for dinner since he’s pretty picky about what he will eat, so she had to stop at Woody’s Lunchbox to get that before they came to eat with us at Backlot.


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Before the trip, the hospital where I work had given all of the full time employees some rewards points that can be used to get gift cards to hundreds of locations. I used mine to get a $100 Disney gift card, and then I received another $25 Disney gift card from someone for a Christmas gift also. I combined them both to be my “snack money”! To explain, there are always snacks and treats I want to try, but I never get them because I always talk myself out of it due to the price. But now with basically a “free” $125 to spend, it became my snack money and I had made a list of lots of things I wanted to try. I knew I wouldn’t be able to get ALL of them, but it left me with a lot of options! One of those things was the 50th Anniversary Glimmer & Shimmer Blondie which was available at Backlot. While waiting for our dinner order, I mobile ordered that separately so I could use my separate gift card for it, and it was ready before our meal was.


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It was a really big dessert! DD shared some with me, and then I gave the other half to my sister and parents to share because it was so large and there was no way I could finish it alone! DH and DS wouldn’t even try it because it had coconut in it.

Although I had booked Smugglers Run for everyone, my parents and sister weren’t interested in doing that one and having to use rider swap, so we set a meet-up time to go see Fantasmic, and split up so we could go ride.


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DH and DS ended up as Gunners and DD and I were Engineers. There was an older couple with us who were the Pilots and did not seem to know what that was going to entail. Lol


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I totally get what I have heard about this ride that the pilots and engineers are looking to the sides so much that you don’t really get to see what is going on. It was really funny how we all ended up yelling at each other in a fun way to get everyone to do their different functions correctly. There was one point where one of the pilots was supposed to pull a lever and wasn’t doing it, so DS first hesitantly said, “I think you need to pull the lever.” And when the guy didn’t do it, his voice got a little louder and more frantic as he yelled, “Pull the lever!” It was fun! But since we had to pay attention to all the buttons lighting up, DD and I couldn’t really pay attention to the ride at all.
 
Wow - what a day so far! And it isn't over yet! You got a lot accomplished. LOVE the Chipmunks. So many great pictures. The cookie looks delicious - I like coconut :-) Anxious to hear about the rest of your day!
 
We all absolutely LOVED this ride! While I was sad to see The Great Movie Ride go away, this is a really great replacement ride! And we loved that it was something we could all do together. The trackless ride system works so great here, and the Daisy’s dancing school room was really fun!
I have to agree. Except the part about the dance school. That part actually made me feel a little motion sick.
The kids agreed that it was ok for DS to be the one who got to ride twice. Nanny sat out with DN while the rest of us got in line.
Don't you miss the days of multiple people being able to use the rider swap?
Nanny wanted to get DN a grilled cheese for dinner since he’s pretty picky about what he will eat, so she had to stop at Woody’s Lunchbox to get that before they came to eat with us at Backlot.
Grilled cheese... Woody's lunchbox... Keeping that piece of information in mind for our picky eater. :thumbsup2
DH and DS ended up as Gunners and DD and I were Engineers. There was an older couple with us who were the Pilots and did not seem to know what that was going to entail. Lol
My one time was as an engineer. I feel like I missed most of the ride. But our pilots seemed to know what they were doing and we had a pretty good score at the end.
 
Great afternoon in Studios.

I always have the worst score on TSMM. DD is the best in our group.

I really miss The Great Movie Ride too, but we all enjoy MMRR too.

I hope you enjoyed you meal at Backlot. My youngest works there. I like your plan for snacks too.

The only time I did the Falcon I was Engineer too. I have not idea what was happening in the front.
 
It was a busy day for you all! Especially with a young one in tow.

I love how vocal Smuggler's Run makes everyone. I'm not one to talk during attractions, but I remember yelling to Landon, "Push the buttons!!!" :rotfl:
I also agree about engineers not watching the screens much. I think it's a pretty genius way to combat the screen motion sickness issue. You can still enjoy the attraction and feel involved without the side effects.

The "tricky card." I love that. :rotfl2: We always know when Evie has a Draw 4 because she giggles. She'd be terrible at poker...

The blondie looks huge! But how awesome that you received gift cards and could "reward" yourself with snacks you wouldn't necessarily buy.
 
Wow - what a day so far! And it isn't over yet! You got a lot accomplished. LOVE the Chipmunks. So many great pictures. The cookie looks delicious - I like coconut :-) Anxious to hear about the rest of your day!
We definitely went hard on that first day! We didn't manage to keep up the same pace for the rest of the trip. :rotfl:

I have become a big fan of coconut in the last few year too. I really wanted to try the coconut soft serve at Aloha Isle but didn't end up getting to do it.
I have to agree. Except the part about the dance school. That part actually made me feel a little motion sick.
Oh no! I can see that being the case for sure.
Don't you miss the days of multiple people being able to use the rider swap?
YES! We got some pixie dust with that later on in the trip, but thankfully the kids understood the expectation and this didn't cause any issues. But I can see where it would for kids who are a little younger and don't understand why they both don't get to ride twice.
Grilled cheese... Woody's lunchbox... Keeping that piece of information in mind for our picky eater. :thumbsup2
It was a great find for my sister with DN for the couple of times we were in DHS. He doesn't eat a whole lot either!
My one time was as an engineer. I feel like I missed most of the ride. But our pilots seemed to know what they were doing and we had a pretty good score at the end.
Absolutely true, I felt like I missed out on the ride itself trying to keep an eye on the buttons. It was still fun, but it really makes it hard to pay attention to what is going on.
Great afternoon in Studios.

I always have the worst score on TSMM. DD is the best in our group.

I really miss The Great Movie Ride too, but we all enjoy MMRR too.

I hope you enjoyed you meal at Backlot. My youngest works there. I like your plan for snacks too.

The only time I did the Falcon I was Engineer too. I have not idea what was happening in the front.
It turned out so productive because of that bonus G+! Stacking is a great strategy for that park in particular.

GMR was a really great classic ride but at least if it had to go away, they replaced it with something really fun for the whole family.


I love how vocal Smuggler's Run makes everyone. I'm not one to talk during attractions, but I remember yelling to Landon, "Push the buttons!!!" :rotfl:
I also agree about engineers not watching the screens much. I think it's a pretty genius way to combat the screen motion sickness issue. You can still enjoy the attraction and feel involved without the side effects.
Haha yes, we were all yelling at each other, but laughing a lot too! That was a fun aspect to it, but a bummer that you can't do that AND pay attention to everything that is going on with the ride. I still really have no idea what we were supposed to be accomplishing or how to accomplish it.
The "tricky card." I love that. :rotfl2: We always know when Evie has a Draw 4 because she giggles. She'd be terrible at poker...
She wouldn't even play with me yesterday when I suggested it because she said she can't help letting everyone know how excited she is when she has a tricky card!
The blondie looks huge! But how awesome that you received gift cards and could "reward" yourself with snacks you wouldn't necessarily buy.
It was much bigger than I had anticipated! There was no way I could have eaten it myself, it is definitely better shared.

It was really great to know that for the first time ever, I could try everything I came across that I wanted to try without having to feel like I was spending a fortune on snacks. It can add up quickly! And I always hesitate when it's something I'm not sure I'll like because I really hate to waste money on something none of us end up liking.
Joining in! Love following along so far:)
Welcome along! Thanks for joining.
 
Day 2 Continued: Sunday June 22nd

Right after that, we were able to go use our RotR ILL at 6:35 pm.


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I wish I could say we loved this one, especially considering it cost us $72 to ride it, but we all thought it was a good ride, but not something we were in a hurry to do again. We had planned that if we really loved it and wanted to ride it again, we should get to DHS incredibly early on Wednesday morning when we were headed back to that park because according to Touring Plans, sometimes you can get on it even before the early entry opening time. After riding, we decided we didn’t need to make that extra effort to get on it another time and we were satisfied with just the one ride.

After that, we were ready to head down to get into the amphitheater for the 8 pm Fantasmic. I think for a day that we were not supposed to have Genie+ and thought we would not be doing much more than our one ILL attraction, getting to ride most of the headliners and rides we wanted to do that day by stacking LL for the afternoon and not having to wait in a standby line at all was pretty awesome! And it meant that we were under a lot less pressure to get on as many attractions on our full DHS day, which was a great relief because it had honestly been stressing me out and I was sure we just wouldn’t be able to do everything we wanted to do.


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We got into the theater a little after 7, so we had almost an hour to wait before the show started. Since we had awhile to wait, it was the perfect time to get some Mickey bars to share!


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Day 2 Continued: Sunday January 22nd

Finally, it was time for Fantasmic! We were all really excited that this had reopened before our trip so we could experience it again, and we were looking forward to the new scenes!


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Here is a little video of one of the best parts of the show in my opinion, Steamboat Willie & all the characters in the finale!


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And the actual finale itself when Mickey saves the day. Some imagination, huh?


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The new additions to the show were really fantastic! Fantasmic has not always been a favorite for me, mostly because it takes SO much time since you have to get in there early if you want a good view, then the show is on the longer side, then the slow shuffle out of the amphitheater. But as long as we go in with a good plan and we aren’t missing out on doing other stuff, I don’t mind putting the time into it. So it has sort of been bumped up the list of nighttime entertainment we like to do, especially because the kids enjoy it so much.

After the show, we made our way out of the theater and to the front of the park to exit. We lost track of my parents and sister on the way to the bus so we ended up on one before them. It was about 9 by the time we left the park via the bus to head back to the Contemporary and walk back to BLT. It had been a VERY long day, getting up so early before rope drop and going all the way until after the nighttime show with a park hop in the middle of the day. DH and I re-evaluated our plan for the next day, because we wanted to rope drop MK in the morning, and Epcot had the deluxe evening hours, so we knew we would need to plan on taking a break away from the parks the next day if we wanted to be able to make it late into the night!
 
Such a great report! Your kids are amazing!
 

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