Kay7979
FANTASY NOVEL AUTHOR
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2004
- Messages
- 2,196
Wednesday was MK day and I was as excited as a kid. I never get tired of this park, and it's not just about the rides, it's just the whole experience. The quaint shops and buildings with their old fashioned trim and details, too lovely to be real, but capturing the best parts of an era and making it feel real for the moment. DH and I wait at the bus stop at Old Key West, primed for a day of fun. We're early, so we can catch the first bus, and be at the head of the line when the park opens. We are the only ones on the bus when he stops, and we end up having a solo ride all the way, chatting to the driver who was now our own personal chauffer. I love January! He told us how many miles a day the average Disney bus runs, how many gallons of fuel they use, how many miles they put on before the engine needs a complete overhaul, how many years old most of the busses are etc. DH really enjoyed all these stats, and I found it interesting, too. I hadn't thought about how expensive th bus service was, especially on days like this when crowds are light and they aren't even running half full.
Waiting outside MK wasn't tedious, as we had a comfortable bench and enjoyed the scenery. Near opening time I experienced something new. I don't remember on previous visits that the steam train arrived carrying Mickey to perform the ceremonial opening of the park amid strains of Disney music. Other characters joined him and it was a delightful beginning to the day.
Of course we could only enter as far as Main Street at that hour, but we enjoyed walking through the shops and looking at gifts and collectibles. I had on my bright pink T-shirt with a large full size Minnie Mouse and DH had on a dark green T-shirt with full size Tigger. We didn't find any T-shirts exactly like our second hand purchases at the local thrift shop, but I did get a couple compliments on my Minnie shirt from other shoppers.
When the park opened, DH and I were off to our mutual favorite, Pirates of the Caribbean. When we were dating, and discussing Disney stuff, we discovered that this was both of our s' favorite attraction. There was no line, and we went twice in a row before heading over to Splash Mountain. Usually I save that for later in the day when it is warmer, but there was no line, and it was actually pretty warm already thanks to the unseasonably warm spell of weather we had lucked into that week. It was the first time I ever recall Splash having so few riders that when we pulled in, dripping, at the end of the ride, the CMS asked if we wanted to stay on and go again! I would have, but DH was more than a little moist from head to toe and figured he would rather go somewhere else and dry off. The best place for that seemed to be Big Thunder Mountain. We knew the train would whip us up down and all around better than the spin cycle on the dryer back at OKW. Again, there wasn't enough of a line to slow us down. We waited along the tracks for maybe two or three cars to load, then it was our turn. I love looking at all the Old West and miner paraphenalia as the train blasts through tunnels and mountains. We pull into the station somewhat dryer than when we left and decide to go again another time or two! Did I say, I love January?!!
Next is the Haunted Mansion. Once is enough for this morning, but we'll be back later. There are still not a lot of people in the park and we need to keep moving. Next stop is Mickey's Philharmagic. I am looking forward to this because it is new and something I have not experienced before. Our timing is good and we only have to wait about ten minutes for the show to start. It's a great show. We both really enjoy it and are glad we caught the morning show as the park did get much busier later in the day and there was more of a crowd in line.
By now it's time for an early lunch. My old standby always used to be a taco salad at El Pirata Y el Perico, but they are closed for remodeling or whatever, so that is out. The signs point us toward Pecos Bill Cafe. Oddly enough, I have never been inside here before, and I think I have found a new favorite! Love the Old West decor, and there are more food selections here. We get burgers and hit the condiment bar where I am delighted to find sauted mushrooms. I put a heap of them off to the side and eat them as a side dish. I take some extra lettuce and tomatoes as a side dish, too. It kind of cuts the pain of the over-priced burgers. I will say that the portions are a decent size and the burgers were very tasty.
After lunch we catch Jungle Cruise next and I am glad that the CMs have toned down the volume of their narration if not their humor. They used to shout through the whole tour, and shouting over a microphone gets more than a little annoying. After the cruise we head over to Tomorrow Land and do Space Mountain. I was amazed that there was not a line here, either. After that it was Buzz Lightyear, Stitch's GReat Escape (which is pretty much just a modified rehash of the Extra-Terrorestrial, then Carousel of Progress. We decided to do Snow White, Pooh, and Peter Pan, then hit Toontown. I had never been to Toontown since I have no kids and never thought of going as an adult. After reading reviews of how cute Mickey and Minnie's houses were, we decided every adult needs to go to Toontown at least once!
While we were at Toontown, the characters were there for a photo op, so we figured, "Oh, why not!" DH and I had pictures taken with Mickey, then went over to see the characters from the 1000 Acres Woods. All in one room we saw in the following order: Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger. I decided Pooh had a big line of people waiting for pictures but Eeyore did not, and was looking typically sad and neglected, so we got in line for Eeyore. In the meantime, in the Pooh line, there was the cutest little toddler who went up to Pooh and kept patting his face gently and kissing him. It was the cutest thing I ever saw. Everyone in line was going, "Awwwwwwwww"!!!! When we got to Eeyore, he carried on a non-verbal monologue with DH, although I think it went over Dh's head for a minute. Eeyore pointed at Dh's Tigger shirt, then at Tigger standing next to him, then pointed at his own chest and shook his head sadly to say "You"re wearing a Tigger shirt, and not one with me on it." We both went up to Eeyore and did a grouphug for our photo, then I had one of just me and Eeyore. Of course the next photo had to be DH with Tigger, and Tigger nodded his approval of the T-shirt bearing his cheerfully waving image. I must say, it was silly and fun, and I am sure I will laugh for years when I see those photos.
After this we rode the steam train around the park, while we both enjoy a lot, and stopped off at Main Street to look at the station and walk around Main street some more. We went into the Main Street Bakery for a dose of something sugary and decadent to keep up our energy levels and had a cup of coffee to wash it down. We were ready for a short break from the action, so I decided to do something I had heard about but never took the time to do: we went to the back of the Town Hall building where they show the old Disney cartoon films and sat down in the theatre to relax for a while and rest our feet. I highly recommend this as a pleasant, restful diversion. We watched a few films, then headed back out into the sunshine again.
We went to the Hall of Presidents, Haunted Mansion again, and The Swiss Family Treehouse, for which DH retains fond childhood memories and always enjoys. We took the Liberty Bell River Boat, always a great experience, especially on a nice day. DH wanted to go to Tom Sawyer's Island but by the time we got back it was nearing dusk and they were closed. While it is not one of my favorite attractions, he really likes it, and I felt bad that he was disappointed. If I hadn't made us go through the Haunted Mansion again, there would have been time. We ended up over at a candy shop in Liberty Square and bought fancy large pieces of over-priced but delicious candy, and started talking to one of the CMs who wasn't busy. She was reminiscing about her own childhood trips to WDW and how she enjoyed working here now. We had been debating whether to stay for the extra-magic hours. I had read previously that there was an extra charge for this, and we figured we had seen and done enough, but apparently the rules had changed and the CMs said that it was free, we just needed to show our Disney Resort key card and get a wristband. They called over to the Town Hall to find out if there was any closer location to get the wristband, and we were told we could just walk over to the Liberty Bell Riverboat station and get them there. We decided that free was good, and we would stay.
We enjoyed the new Wishes presentation with a great spot right in front of the castle, and got to see Tinkerbell's arrival. It was a super show. Very nicely done and great music, as always.
Not everything was open for extra hours, but I remember we did BTMRR a couple times, caught the Country Bear Jamboree, and I think the TTA, etc. We took a break to have dinner at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe. I always get a kick out of the animated alien performing his night club act. Actually, the food is pretty good there, too. We didn't stay right to the end of closing time, but we sure packed in a full day. With the lack of crowds we had done every attraction we wanted to do at least once, and many of the rides we had enjoyed two or three times. It really is true that adults can have a great time at WDW, and we considered this a special and wonderful day together which I am sure we will always remember.
Waiting outside MK wasn't tedious, as we had a comfortable bench and enjoyed the scenery. Near opening time I experienced something new. I don't remember on previous visits that the steam train arrived carrying Mickey to perform the ceremonial opening of the park amid strains of Disney music. Other characters joined him and it was a delightful beginning to the day.
Of course we could only enter as far as Main Street at that hour, but we enjoyed walking through the shops and looking at gifts and collectibles. I had on my bright pink T-shirt with a large full size Minnie Mouse and DH had on a dark green T-shirt with full size Tigger. We didn't find any T-shirts exactly like our second hand purchases at the local thrift shop, but I did get a couple compliments on my Minnie shirt from other shoppers.
When the park opened, DH and I were off to our mutual favorite, Pirates of the Caribbean. When we were dating, and discussing Disney stuff, we discovered that this was both of our s' favorite attraction. There was no line, and we went twice in a row before heading over to Splash Mountain. Usually I save that for later in the day when it is warmer, but there was no line, and it was actually pretty warm already thanks to the unseasonably warm spell of weather we had lucked into that week. It was the first time I ever recall Splash having so few riders that when we pulled in, dripping, at the end of the ride, the CMS asked if we wanted to stay on and go again! I would have, but DH was more than a little moist from head to toe and figured he would rather go somewhere else and dry off. The best place for that seemed to be Big Thunder Mountain. We knew the train would whip us up down and all around better than the spin cycle on the dryer back at OKW. Again, there wasn't enough of a line to slow us down. We waited along the tracks for maybe two or three cars to load, then it was our turn. I love looking at all the Old West and miner paraphenalia as the train blasts through tunnels and mountains. We pull into the station somewhat dryer than when we left and decide to go again another time or two! Did I say, I love January?!!
Next is the Haunted Mansion. Once is enough for this morning, but we'll be back later. There are still not a lot of people in the park and we need to keep moving. Next stop is Mickey's Philharmagic. I am looking forward to this because it is new and something I have not experienced before. Our timing is good and we only have to wait about ten minutes for the show to start. It's a great show. We both really enjoy it and are glad we caught the morning show as the park did get much busier later in the day and there was more of a crowd in line.
By now it's time for an early lunch. My old standby always used to be a taco salad at El Pirata Y el Perico, but they are closed for remodeling or whatever, so that is out. The signs point us toward Pecos Bill Cafe. Oddly enough, I have never been inside here before, and I think I have found a new favorite! Love the Old West decor, and there are more food selections here. We get burgers and hit the condiment bar where I am delighted to find sauted mushrooms. I put a heap of them off to the side and eat them as a side dish. I take some extra lettuce and tomatoes as a side dish, too. It kind of cuts the pain of the over-priced burgers. I will say that the portions are a decent size and the burgers were very tasty.
After lunch we catch Jungle Cruise next and I am glad that the CMs have toned down the volume of their narration if not their humor. They used to shout through the whole tour, and shouting over a microphone gets more than a little annoying. After the cruise we head over to Tomorrow Land and do Space Mountain. I was amazed that there was not a line here, either. After that it was Buzz Lightyear, Stitch's GReat Escape (which is pretty much just a modified rehash of the Extra-Terrorestrial, then Carousel of Progress. We decided to do Snow White, Pooh, and Peter Pan, then hit Toontown. I had never been to Toontown since I have no kids and never thought of going as an adult. After reading reviews of how cute Mickey and Minnie's houses were, we decided every adult needs to go to Toontown at least once!
While we were at Toontown, the characters were there for a photo op, so we figured, "Oh, why not!" DH and I had pictures taken with Mickey, then went over to see the characters from the 1000 Acres Woods. All in one room we saw in the following order: Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger. I decided Pooh had a big line of people waiting for pictures but Eeyore did not, and was looking typically sad and neglected, so we got in line for Eeyore. In the meantime, in the Pooh line, there was the cutest little toddler who went up to Pooh and kept patting his face gently and kissing him. It was the cutest thing I ever saw. Everyone in line was going, "Awwwwwwwww"!!!! When we got to Eeyore, he carried on a non-verbal monologue with DH, although I think it went over Dh's head for a minute. Eeyore pointed at Dh's Tigger shirt, then at Tigger standing next to him, then pointed at his own chest and shook his head sadly to say "You"re wearing a Tigger shirt, and not one with me on it." We both went up to Eeyore and did a grouphug for our photo, then I had one of just me and Eeyore. Of course the next photo had to be DH with Tigger, and Tigger nodded his approval of the T-shirt bearing his cheerfully waving image. I must say, it was silly and fun, and I am sure I will laugh for years when I see those photos.
After this we rode the steam train around the park, while we both enjoy a lot, and stopped off at Main Street to look at the station and walk around Main street some more. We went into the Main Street Bakery for a dose of something sugary and decadent to keep up our energy levels and had a cup of coffee to wash it down. We were ready for a short break from the action, so I decided to do something I had heard about but never took the time to do: we went to the back of the Town Hall building where they show the old Disney cartoon films and sat down in the theatre to relax for a while and rest our feet. I highly recommend this as a pleasant, restful diversion. We watched a few films, then headed back out into the sunshine again.
We went to the Hall of Presidents, Haunted Mansion again, and The Swiss Family Treehouse, for which DH retains fond childhood memories and always enjoys. We took the Liberty Bell River Boat, always a great experience, especially on a nice day. DH wanted to go to Tom Sawyer's Island but by the time we got back it was nearing dusk and they were closed. While it is not one of my favorite attractions, he really likes it, and I felt bad that he was disappointed. If I hadn't made us go through the Haunted Mansion again, there would have been time. We ended up over at a candy shop in Liberty Square and bought fancy large pieces of over-priced but delicious candy, and started talking to one of the CMs who wasn't busy. She was reminiscing about her own childhood trips to WDW and how she enjoyed working here now. We had been debating whether to stay for the extra-magic hours. I had read previously that there was an extra charge for this, and we figured we had seen and done enough, but apparently the rules had changed and the CMs said that it was free, we just needed to show our Disney Resort key card and get a wristband. They called over to the Town Hall to find out if there was any closer location to get the wristband, and we were told we could just walk over to the Liberty Bell Riverboat station and get them there. We decided that free was good, and we would stay.
We enjoyed the new Wishes presentation with a great spot right in front of the castle, and got to see Tinkerbell's arrival. It was a super show. Very nicely done and great music, as always.
Not everything was open for extra hours, but I remember we did BTMRR a couple times, caught the Country Bear Jamboree, and I think the TTA, etc. We took a break to have dinner at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe. I always get a kick out of the animated alien performing his night club act. Actually, the food is pretty good there, too. We didn't stay right to the end of closing time, but we sure packed in a full day. With the lack of crowds we had done every attraction we wanted to do at least once, and many of the rides we had enjoyed two or three times. It really is true that adults can have a great time at WDW, and we considered this a special and wonderful day together which I am sure we will always remember.
