Hey all! So my birthday was actually two days after April's. It was much more low key, no cake smash or anything.
But my dad sent me this awesome gift. It's a purse!
Back to the report.
Day 3 (Friday, October 30th), Part 1
We woke around 9 am, and first thing I did was pick up my phone and call my doctor. They said the next available appointment was Tuesday at 3, which was just after when my dad would need to be at the airport at the end of our trip, so it worked out perfectly. I booked that time and Dad said if the issue got worse, he would prescribe antibiotics. Still hoped it wouldn’t come to that! I already felt a little better but didn’t want to take chances.
After that we got ready for our day. It was Halloween costume day! I put April in her costume first and she was NOT happy. I don’t know why she found it so uncomfortable since it was really just a shirt, but she crawled around the room obviously sad. I think she might have also been a little tired, since she wasn’t getting the best sleep on this trip. This was the day that the lack of sleep really became clear, and her mood became a lot more temperamental.
We left for Magic Kingdom around 11 am. We took my car, which in non-COVID times I wouldn’t do if I had the option to take Disney transportation. But obviously, we were trying to avoid busses.
On the drive over, my dad and I debated whether he should try to take the plastic sword that was part of his costume past security. I said that the rules specifically stated that while costumes were okay, fake weapons, even obviously fake ones, were not. He argued that there was no way anyone would think his fake sword was dangerous. After all, I’d accidentally bent it on the way to the car (trying to use it to press an elevator button, haha I thought I was being so cool).
My argument was that maybe they would let it through, but there was a chance they wouldn’t. And if they didn’t, that meant that we would have to walk all the way back to the car, in literally one of the world’s largest parking lots, to drop it off there. It just didn’t seem worth it to me.
We tried asking the cast member working the parking booth, but of course he couldn’t answer for us. Ultimately Dad decided to keep it in the car, but he grumbled about it all the way to security. We did have a long walk to the front (and the shuttles aren’t operating right now) so I was glad we weren’t risking a walk back. I made sure to take a picture of our row again!
We got to security, and the guard checked our bags. Dad took that opportunity to ask about the sword. The guard said that while some of them might let it through, it was up to the individual guard’s discretion and some were being more strict than others, so better to not risk it. Dad was disappointed, but it was clear I had made the right argument.
We assessed our options and decided to take the ferry to the park. I’m normally a monorail girl but again, closed area with other people was something I was trying to avoid. We boarded right away and had enough time to get settled on the bottom floor while the other passengers boarded.
It was a smooth ride across the lagoon, and soon enough we were at the park gates, and in the Magic Kingdom! Yay!
First we did was take a moment to enjoy a performance by the Cadaver Dans, who were singing from the train station.
This is one of the COVID changes I like. There’s nothing lost with them performing at a distance, and since there’s not a crowd forming around them, more people can see them.
While we were watching, Dad tried to get some pictures of me and April. She was not very interested.
But as you can see, we were dressed as Peter Pan and Tinkerbell! Dad was also a makeshift Captain Hook, hence the hullabaloo around a sword.
By now we had just enough time for one attraction before our lunch reservation. I took a look at the Lines app, and it looked like Pirates of the Caribbean would be a good choice. If you read my previous fall’s trip report, I really enjoyed the enhancements this attraction got during the Halloween party, and I was disappointed we wouldn’t get to experience them this year. But it was still a classic attraction that April hadn’t experienced during her first trip (pretty sure), so we decided to check it out anyway.
I think the wait was predicted at about 30 minutes, maybe a little longer. I do remember it was accurate, even though the line stretched almost all the way over to Jungle Cruise. That’s a socially distanced queue for you!
Once we got into the actual building, it seemed like an optimal time to take some group selfies and pictures.
If you couldn't tell, April trying to eat Dad's hook was a common theme of the day.
Soon enough we were on the boat. I’m pretty sure this was where I banged my shin getting on the ride vehicle. It was a nasty bruise, and it happened because I had trouble balancing the baby with navigating getting into the boat safely. From that point on in our trip, I either had Dad get in first with her, or I would get in first and have him hand her to me.
I was worried she would be scared of the drop but it didn’t seem to phase her too much. She just sat nicely and took everything in.
After Pirates, it was time to check in for our lunch reservation at our favorite MK spot: Skipper Canteen!
We checked in and were seated pretty quickly towards the back of the cafeteria. This is like the third trip in a row that I’ve meant to ask to be seated in the SEA room and totally forgot. Oh well. At least we weren’t in the middle of the room this time. We were in a nice quiet corner, so if April were to get fussy, at least all eyes wouldn’t be on us.
Dad continued his quest for dark beer and was, as usual, disappointed with the options. I got a white sangria and it was AMAZING. If he can’t find a beer that will make him happy, he should really just switch to a different libation altogether.
Like other Disney restaurants, Skipper Canteen has pared down their menu somewhat. I think most options were still available (it was a small menu to begin with), but my dad’s favorite, the whole fried fish, is not currently there. We took a look and debated what to get. I usually get (and really enjoy) the Tastes Like Chicken with sauce on the side, but I was interested in trying something new. Dad won’t eat pork and isn’t a steak fan so that limited our options somewhat. I was intrigued by the vegetable curry with tofu, and he was interested in the Thai noodles, which came with either tofu or chicken.
We’re a little picky. Dad and I like tofu, but generally only if it’s fried. We’re not fans of soft, mushy tofu. We weren’t sure how either dish prepared its tofu, so we asked. It turns out the tofu in the curry stew was fried, while the tofu in the Thai noodles was soft. So I got the stew and Dad got the noodles with chicken, and we decided to split the dishes. I also ordered a side of steamed vegetables for April.
Our meals came, and as usual, everything tasted amazing. I’ve yet to have a bad meal at Skipper Canteen, obviously. Most of the vegetables weren’t quite soft enough for April (she’d probably be able to eat them now though; how quickly they change!). Dad gave her some of his noodles, and she happily slurped them down at first, but then she started crying and didn’t want to eat anymore. Not sure what happened, but Dad thinks she might have been spooked by the pepper and other spices. In any case, she was fussy for much of the meal, which seems to be a theme with her at Skipper Canteen now, but oh well. We took turns eating and consoling her.
At one point I got up to use the bathroom, and Dad let her crawl around on the bench. She’s always happiest when she’s not contained.
We took care of the bill, and then debated as to where we should go next. Stay tuned to find out where the day took us!