meeko_33785
<font color=teal>Surrounded by characters<br><font
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2000
- Messages
- 5,491
So far this morning, I've been able to see a number of attractions, but this Magic Kingdom visit isn't over yet. As soon as Cinderellabration ended, the Main Street Horse-Drawn Trolley pulled into the Hub, and I took a ride down to Town Square. Its been years since I rode it and I have to admit that its pretty enchanting riding down the street in that trolley. Even got to see the Dapper Dans performing as the trolley passed them. Just for a moment, it is the year 1900 and you are in small town America. Once at Town Square, it was onto the Walt Disney World Railroad to Toontown. First thing, I checked out Toontown Hall of Fame. The Princess Room said that Cinderella, Snow White, and a special mystery character was inside. Mystery character, eh? Curious to who it could be, I got in line. After a while, it was apparent that the line was moving extremely slow, even for the Hall of Fame. I asked a Cast Member if she had any idea who the mystery character is, but she didnt know. She said it was probably Belle or one of the other Princesses. I like the Princesses and all, but I just met them all last summer. Id rather use this time to do some more rides that meet the princesses again. Ill just have to leave who that mystery character a mystery forever. Unlike the Princess line, the Barnstormer had practically no line, so I opted for that instead. Its short, but fun. There's always got to be one roller coaster ride per trip. This would be mine. On the way out, I got my second photo for the days scavenger hunt:
#2: Statue: County Bounty, Magic Kingdom
Its amusing to me that Disney would put a statue of such an obscure character as Cornilius Coot, the founder of Duckburg in the old Scrooge McDuck comics, in such a prominent place in Toontown. I guess he should get something for founding Duckberg though. The window for my Stitch FastPass was about to open, so I headed over to the attraction passing PUSH the talking trash can along the way (cute as always). After all the negative reviews I had heard online, I was pleasantly surprised with Stitchs Greatest Escape. It was actually kind of cute in some ways. When the harness was coming down on me, I made sure that I pushed up with my shoulders so that it didnt push me all the way down into my seat like it did when I rode it as Alien Encounter. Much more comfortable when you do that. It also gave me enough wiggle room so that I could lean forward and miss Stitchs chili dog breath on my neck. Don't even want to imagine what that smelled like! All things considered, I thought the burping, bouncing Stitch was an improvement from the killer alien of Alien Encounter. Defiantly cuter and much less sadistic. Its still no where near being a favorite, but an improvement nonetheless. After that, I took the Wishing Well path back to Fantasyland. Took a quick look inside Tinker Bells Treasures by the Castle. I had head that if you look inside one of the keyholes in the dresser in the shop, you could see Tinker Bell. Looked inside, but didnt see anything. She was spreading pixie dust through the shop though.
Leaving Fantasyland, I headed towards lunch at Columbia Harbor House. I got the chicken basket with carrots (nice to see Disney is now offering some healthier options than French fries) and got a table upstairs. Good meal. This is defiantly my favorite counter service restaurant at MK. After lunch, I headed over to Adventureland to see the Enchanted Tiki Room. Now, this is another show I hear a lot of complaints about online, but I think its pretty funny. Plus its a nice break in the air conditioning. By this time, I was done with everything I wanted to see in the park and decided to head back to the resort. By about Main Street, I realized that I had not gotten the last photo for the days scavenger hunt. The word was Villain. Im heading to Animal Kingdom Lodge tonight, but I dont think Ill find any Villains there. There must be something on Main Street thats Villain-themed. Anything in the window displays? Nope. Any characters out? Prince John is, but he was leaving when I got there. Finally, I went inside the Expo Hall. I know there are Villain backdrops there. Found one:
#3: Villain: Town Square Exposition Hall, Magic Kingdom
Just in case you have never been inside the Expo Hall, yes, you can get inside the television for a photo op. It's really a nice little spot. I had to sneak in quietly as not to disturb the pin demonstration that Scoop was giving in the theater. Pins! Wait a minute; didnt I want to try my hand at pin trading on this trip? Ive already been here two days, and I havent done any trading at all. I really wanted to head back to the resort, so Ill just save that for tomorrow at EPCOT. Now, its time for some relaxation time back at Pop Century.
After a long, hot morning at Magic Kingdom, I was ready for some down time. I headed over to the Bowling Pin pool in the 50s area of the resort. Its not the main pool, so I figured it would probably be a little more peaceful. Plus, it would give me a chance to check out the 50s for the first time. Its hard for me to pick a favorite area of Pop Century, but if I had to choose, it would probably be the 50s. The giant icons of a jukebox, Lady and the Tramp rise over a pool shaped like a giant bowling pin. How cool is that? The floor around the pool even had the pattern of a wooden bowling ally floor (you know, with the marks that are suppose to help you aim the ball at the pins. Not that they've ever helped me, but my lack of bowling skills isn't the topic here, is it?). After a while, the rain started up again and it was back to the 60s and my room. By the time I got there, the storm was really going- thunder, lighting, and all. Oh, well. At least I got a nice swim in before the rain. Eventually it let up, and the weather was beautiful.
Evening came, and I headed over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Due to the length of my trip, I had to skip going to the Animal Kingdom Park this year- the first time since it opened I have done that. Still, I figured that going to the Lodge would make up for it and allow me to spend some time in an Animal Kingdom atmosphere without actually going there. If youve never been here, I encourage you to do so. Its truly an amazing hotel and an attraction in and of itself. The lobby is incredible and the savannah is even better. That was my first stop- the Arusha Rock Outlook just off the lobby. Theres a nice assortment of animals out- a bunch of zebras were grazing nearby and some large birds and other animals that I wont even pretend to know theyre names, but were really beautiful. After watching them for a while, I retreated back indoors for some air conditioning and a little browsing in the gift shop.
After getting sufficiently cooled down, I headed back outside to the Uzima Savannah Outlook (the one by the pool). The flamingos were there of course, but the real action was happening near where the giraffes were. They were coming very close. Beautiful animals. I stayed for quite a while watching them as the guide that was stationed nearby told the crowd all about them. I had a dinner reservation at Bomma that evening, so when it was getting close to the PS time, I back inside. It wasnt too long before I was at the restaurant and seated. To preface the meal, Bomma is my absolute favorite restaurant in all of Walt Disney World. Every time I had been there before, the food there was absolutely delicious, and this time around I have to say it was even better than I remembered. The Coconut Curried Chicken Soup is my favorite dish there- and I normally dont like soup! Its that good. Everything there was delicious. No complaints here. And, or course, dessert was wonderful was well. Ahh Zebra Domes. A good meal behind me, the evening was just about through. There would be just one last stop for this Lodge visit- the area just off the lobby called the Sunset Outlook that looks like a library or study. Its sort of hidden right next to the check in desk, but it has a nice view of the Sunset Savannah. The one time I had Savannah view room at the Lodge, it overlooked that area, so it brings back nice memories. There are lots of animals around too. Its still not quite dark, but the sky is lovely. Its time to go back to Pop and rest up for the last full day of my trip.
#2: Statue: County Bounty, Magic Kingdom
Its amusing to me that Disney would put a statue of such an obscure character as Cornilius Coot, the founder of Duckburg in the old Scrooge McDuck comics, in such a prominent place in Toontown. I guess he should get something for founding Duckberg though. The window for my Stitch FastPass was about to open, so I headed over to the attraction passing PUSH the talking trash can along the way (cute as always). After all the negative reviews I had heard online, I was pleasantly surprised with Stitchs Greatest Escape. It was actually kind of cute in some ways. When the harness was coming down on me, I made sure that I pushed up with my shoulders so that it didnt push me all the way down into my seat like it did when I rode it as Alien Encounter. Much more comfortable when you do that. It also gave me enough wiggle room so that I could lean forward and miss Stitchs chili dog breath on my neck. Don't even want to imagine what that smelled like! All things considered, I thought the burping, bouncing Stitch was an improvement from the killer alien of Alien Encounter. Defiantly cuter and much less sadistic. Its still no where near being a favorite, but an improvement nonetheless. After that, I took the Wishing Well path back to Fantasyland. Took a quick look inside Tinker Bells Treasures by the Castle. I had head that if you look inside one of the keyholes in the dresser in the shop, you could see Tinker Bell. Looked inside, but didnt see anything. She was spreading pixie dust through the shop though.
Leaving Fantasyland, I headed towards lunch at Columbia Harbor House. I got the chicken basket with carrots (nice to see Disney is now offering some healthier options than French fries) and got a table upstairs. Good meal. This is defiantly my favorite counter service restaurant at MK. After lunch, I headed over to Adventureland to see the Enchanted Tiki Room. Now, this is another show I hear a lot of complaints about online, but I think its pretty funny. Plus its a nice break in the air conditioning. By this time, I was done with everything I wanted to see in the park and decided to head back to the resort. By about Main Street, I realized that I had not gotten the last photo for the days scavenger hunt. The word was Villain. Im heading to Animal Kingdom Lodge tonight, but I dont think Ill find any Villains there. There must be something on Main Street thats Villain-themed. Anything in the window displays? Nope. Any characters out? Prince John is, but he was leaving when I got there. Finally, I went inside the Expo Hall. I know there are Villain backdrops there. Found one:
#3: Villain: Town Square Exposition Hall, Magic Kingdom
Just in case you have never been inside the Expo Hall, yes, you can get inside the television for a photo op. It's really a nice little spot. I had to sneak in quietly as not to disturb the pin demonstration that Scoop was giving in the theater. Pins! Wait a minute; didnt I want to try my hand at pin trading on this trip? Ive already been here two days, and I havent done any trading at all. I really wanted to head back to the resort, so Ill just save that for tomorrow at EPCOT. Now, its time for some relaxation time back at Pop Century.
After a long, hot morning at Magic Kingdom, I was ready for some down time. I headed over to the Bowling Pin pool in the 50s area of the resort. Its not the main pool, so I figured it would probably be a little more peaceful. Plus, it would give me a chance to check out the 50s for the first time. Its hard for me to pick a favorite area of Pop Century, but if I had to choose, it would probably be the 50s. The giant icons of a jukebox, Lady and the Tramp rise over a pool shaped like a giant bowling pin. How cool is that? The floor around the pool even had the pattern of a wooden bowling ally floor (you know, with the marks that are suppose to help you aim the ball at the pins. Not that they've ever helped me, but my lack of bowling skills isn't the topic here, is it?). After a while, the rain started up again and it was back to the 60s and my room. By the time I got there, the storm was really going- thunder, lighting, and all. Oh, well. At least I got a nice swim in before the rain. Eventually it let up, and the weather was beautiful.
Evening came, and I headed over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Due to the length of my trip, I had to skip going to the Animal Kingdom Park this year- the first time since it opened I have done that. Still, I figured that going to the Lodge would make up for it and allow me to spend some time in an Animal Kingdom atmosphere without actually going there. If youve never been here, I encourage you to do so. Its truly an amazing hotel and an attraction in and of itself. The lobby is incredible and the savannah is even better. That was my first stop- the Arusha Rock Outlook just off the lobby. Theres a nice assortment of animals out- a bunch of zebras were grazing nearby and some large birds and other animals that I wont even pretend to know theyre names, but were really beautiful. After watching them for a while, I retreated back indoors for some air conditioning and a little browsing in the gift shop.
After getting sufficiently cooled down, I headed back outside to the Uzima Savannah Outlook (the one by the pool). The flamingos were there of course, but the real action was happening near where the giraffes were. They were coming very close. Beautiful animals. I stayed for quite a while watching them as the guide that was stationed nearby told the crowd all about them. I had a dinner reservation at Bomma that evening, so when it was getting close to the PS time, I back inside. It wasnt too long before I was at the restaurant and seated. To preface the meal, Bomma is my absolute favorite restaurant in all of Walt Disney World. Every time I had been there before, the food there was absolutely delicious, and this time around I have to say it was even better than I remembered. The Coconut Curried Chicken Soup is my favorite dish there- and I normally dont like soup! Its that good. Everything there was delicious. No complaints here. And, or course, dessert was wonderful was well. Ahh Zebra Domes. A good meal behind me, the evening was just about through. There would be just one last stop for this Lodge visit- the area just off the lobby called the Sunset Outlook that looks like a library or study. Its sort of hidden right next to the check in desk, but it has a nice view of the Sunset Savannah. The one time I had Savannah view room at the Lodge, it overlooked that area, so it brings back nice memories. There are lots of animals around too. Its still not quite dark, but the sky is lovely. Its time to go back to Pop and rest up for the last full day of my trip.
