So at this point, we had pretty much crossed the line from excited to sheer stupidly giddy. This was real life! A week ago we didn't even have the idea to go to Disney and now we were here.
For the rest of the day, we had planned to chill around the Magic Kingdom resorts. There are lots of neat things to do over there that Disney doesn't really advertise. It's a great plan for arrival day. Since you arrive mid-day, you save a ton of money by not wasting a full theme park ticket on a few hours (unless that's really important to you, which I can totally understand). By exploring NEAR the Magic Kingdom but not going INSIDE it, you're still able to have loads of fun, and constantly seeing the park
makes you SO much more excited for tomorrow. So we hopped onboard the MK bus (excuse me, motor coach) and away we went!
Gotta say... like I mentioned before, the group dynamic was perfect, not just for traveling purposes but also just because we all know each other so well that there's no hiding any of our natural reactions to anything. I freak out at Disney. So does Caleb. So does Jeremy. And so did Brody. There was no need to mask those "nerd moments" - those times when you go absolutely bazerk (like pulling into MK, for instance) that other people might be all, "What the heck is wrong with you." But it was totally ok because we were all doing the same thing, just in a different way. My reactions are usually a jaw drop, enormous smile, and sometimes tears. Caleb catches his breath and takes it all in, and Jeremy and Brody most of the time shake their heads and say something along the lines of "Woah, that's sick."
So as the motor coach pulled into the Magic Kingdom station and the trumpet blasts of the Mickey Mouse Club began to play on the audio system... well, we were pretty happy, I'll say that much.
This night happened to be Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, and CMs standing outside MK were already in their party gear. I don't know why I thought it was so cool to see them wearing that outfit, but it was. I guess it's just one of those things that, even though it's small, you've seen year after year online and now to see it in person was kinda neat.
It was at this time that we realized we had never gotten anything to eat. Like, not all day. We had pushed off eating lunch on the road so we could get to WDW faster, and we had pushed off lunch at Downtown Disney when the hotel thing arose, and I guess all the sensory overload just trumped any underlying hunger we had. So we hadn't eaten since breakfast and it was now 5:00. Whoops.
We took the monorail to the Polynesian to eat at Captain Cook's. It was nearing sunset, though, so we went out to the beach to watch the sunset first before we ate. So relaxing! It was a little chilly, but otherwise so serene and peaceful, especially since there were hardly any guests out there. Something pretty nifty: we could totally hear the Dream Along With Mickey show happening all the way at the CASTLE! The whole show, very coherently, could be heard from the Poly as the sound waves traveled across the lake! If I was a Poly resort guest trying to relax or sleep, it might be annoying, but since we were just chillin and ancy to get into the parks anyway, I thought hearing the show was really cool. Something we noticed, though, was that at the brief fireworks blast at the end of the show, the pyro shot off-sync with the song. Jeremy and I looked at each other... we are both on the Production team at our church and work closely with cues and timing. Had DISNEY just messed up a major fireworks cue??? But then we realized that the sound waves must be getting to us with a short delay... cool! Science!
As we relaxed, we made our FastPass+ reservations for tomorrow. It was very easy to do on my phone with the My Disney Experience app - I was able to scan all of our tickets so we were all under the same account, and we got the FastPass times we wanted without any hassle. We went with Space Mountain 1:25, Enchanted Tales with Belle 4:25, and Big Thunder 6:25. I know it sounds weird 4 guys seeing Belle but Jeremy and Brody hadn't been to New Fantasyland yet and Caleb and I really liked the audience interaction element of the show, and how no 2 shows are the same, so that's my justification for that one haha.
We strolled around inside the Great Ceremonial House for a bit. I love it in there. The Poly is by far my favorite Disney resort. I've never stayed here overnight, but visiting it is always such a pleasure. In the corner downstairs, I spotted an older CM who I recognized from a post on All Ears:
Auntie Kau'i. I had read she makes flower leis and cookies, teaches hula, and has been working at WDW for a long time. We approached her and I asked if she was the same person I had read about. She said no, that that was another lady, but going back to look at the article (
http://land.allears.net/blogs/kristin-ford/2013/07/_disneys_polynesian_resort_off.html), I know for certain it was her. Despite the confusion, we had a great conversation with her. Turns out, she's not just been working at WDW for a long time, but since it opened in 1971!! And all that time she's been at the Polynesian and even remembers when the Beatles broke up there. I noticed she also had a blue CM nametag, indicating she was given an award of excellence at some point in her Disney career. Really cool chatting with her. If you see her, definitely say hi.
About now, the castle was being lit up with its Christmas lights, so we headed out to see that. Muppet Christmas Carol was playing on a screen on the beach, but hardly anybody was out there. BUT... now every time I watch that movie, I'll think of being at the Poly. I like making those little connections. Two CMs were standing outside all by themselves near a fire pit, where anybody who wanted could roast free marshmallows! But nobody was, so we had the whole thing to ourselves.
Roasting marshmallows, alone, with a glistening Cinderella Castle in the distance. Does it really get any better than that?
Brody had now finished up some work that he had scurried off to do earlier, so we met up with him and had Captain Cook's! Flatbreads, Polynesian chips, and Dole Whips. I mean, that is a perfect menu like what more could you ever ask for.
Next up, resort hopping! We got onboard the monorail (Por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas) and got off at the Grand Floridian. Woah!! It looks magnificent at Christmastime. The huge tree in the lobby, the gingerbread house to the side, and a live band was playing music when we entered. It felt like we had stepped into Home Alone 2 and I really wanted to approach the front desk and say that my dad was Peter McAllister and I needed to check in. But I didn't.
We soaked in the beautiful image of the lobby for a bit before stepping outside to catch a boat to MK. (Remember we were trying to make it to the Contemporary in time for Wishes.) The moment we went outside, I immediately recognized an occasion I had watched many, many times on
YouTube but never thought I'd hear in person: Celebrate the Season, the special castle show just for
MVMCP!
We could hear it just as clearly as we heard Dream Along With Mickey earlier. I didn't care that we weren't at the party since we'd be in MK tomorrow. I understand that in any other circumstance hearing all the party excitement happening from the outside would be torturous if you're not inside, but to us it was more like, "Cool! We're in Disney and we can hear some of the awesome stuff happening at the Christmas party!"
Again, it was also partially that "always seen it on a computer, never seen it in person" principle. Almost like being starstruck. We were just happy to be there.
Our CM on the Grand Floridian boat was named Ricardo, and he was delightful. He made great conversation with us, most of which discussed more possibilities of where Walt's frozen head is hidden. As we pulled into the MK dock, Caleb noticed the random line of palm trees that are on a line of concrete in the middle of the lagoon right in front of the dock. Caleb then proclaimed that one day he is going to write a children's book called
"The Palm Tree In Front of the Kingdom," all about the poor palm tree who saw all the guests enter the Magic Kingdom every day and always wanted to go inside, and finally one day he grew tall enough to peek at all the excitement happening inside the gates.
We had initially planned to walk to the Contemporary, but we still had some time to kill before the fireworks started, so we transferred boats and visited the Wilderness Lodge. On the ride over, we heard something else from the party - the parade.
I REPEAT, THE PARAAAAAADE. That really got me. The moment I realized that that's what I was hearing, I bolted upright and peeled my ears just to make sure, and it was. WOW. I'll tell you, I have watched those parade floats on TV every Christmas morning since before I could walk. Even though we weren't actually *watching* the parade, still being present for it in a sense was just
Wow. That's all I could say.
Now on to the Wilderness Lodge! That place is legit! Gorgeous lobby. Woah nellie. If we had more time, I would've liked to have gone to Walt's train room or done the hidden Mickey hunt, but we still got to sit in rocking chairs for a few minutes. And at the pin kiosk I finally found the grape soda pin from
Up!! I had one a few years ago, but lost it and had not been able to find a replacement since. Huzzah!
To our pleasant surprise, we found out that there was direct boat transportation from the Wilderness Lodge to the Contemporary. Kind of random, but ok, that's exactly what we need, perfect! I forget this boat CM's name, but he was FANTASTIC. We knew we were in for a special ride when, as we departed, he said, "Please keep your hands and arms inside the boat at all times. Not doing so is a fire hazard. You'll fall out, and then I'll laugh and get fired." HAHAHA! It was like we were on a guided Disney history tour.
He told us everything about all the sites we were passing, including Discovery Island, Fort Wilderness, River Country, and (something I had NEVER heard of before!)
the Nike tree. There is a tree on the edge of Bay Lake where Disney hangs all the shoes that end up in the water. What the heck!
He shined the boat's light on it so we could see it. Weird! The CM also told continuous pirate jokes throughout our voyage. I'm a fan of corny puns, and honestly it felt just like were were on the Jungle Cruise, which I absolutely love. I wish I could remember his name so I could put in a good word him. He really made the boat ride very enjoyable when really all he had to do was drive the thing.
As we approached the Contemporary's dock, the CM pointed out, "And speaking of pirates... well, would you look at that! There's one waiting for us right now! Look everybody. Look at the dock, look who it is!"
It couldn't be.
I turned to look at Caleb. He was going white in the face.
It really could not be. Especially at this hour, it *could* *not* be. But it had to be. I mean, who else could it be in Disney's limited library of pirates?
I peered ahead.
It was.
It was him.
Caleb's lifelong childhood fear, who he is mortified of to this day: Captain Hook.
So while Caleb looked like this
and was figuring out an escape plan, me, Brody, and Jeremy were more like
Why on EARTH was Captain Hook, of all people, at the CONTEMPORARY BOAT DOCK, of all places, AT 9:00 AT NIGHT?!? It was brilliant. The driver then told us that the Pirate Pals cruise thing was just finishing up, and that those guests have an encounter with Captain Hook, so that's what he was doing there. But it was still just so perfect. Of course the one character Caleb is terrified of would be waiting for us in the most obscure time and place possible. Why wouldn't he be.
Unfortunately, Captain Hook's attendant escorted him away before we had gotten out of the boat, so the heart-to-heart between him and Caleb would have to wait.
We went on inside and made our way to the 4th floor. We picked up snacks for the fireworks at that grocery place right outside of the Fantasia gift shop. (I got this really good strawberry cookie thing with a Minnie's Bakery label on it.) And then... onto outside for (sudden realization!!!) HOLIDAY Wishes! Aaaaaah
Best tip I can ever give anyone: If you want to watch the fireworks from the Contemporary, most people go to the 4th floor.
Don't stop on 4. That's where everything in the resort is centrally located, and as such, Disney has a nice seating area perfect to watch the fireworks from. However, that's where EVERYONE goes. There are about a dozen (if not more) perfectly capable balconies right above the 4th floor, but for whatever reason nobody takes the time to go to those. There's no seating up there, but they're public areas that you're totally allowed to be on and it's just as good of a viewing area, if not better. So yes, start on the 4th floor, but then take the stairs up a few flights, and you'll have your own private balcony viewing of one of the best fireworks displays on the planet. FOR FREE.
We had all never seen Holiday Wishes so we were super excited - especially Brody, who had never seen Disney fireworks before!! We were disappointed that they didn't pump the audio for the show like they do for regular Wishes.... I guess it's because these particular fireworks are technically for a special ticketed event, but still. (If you watch from this location on an ordinary night with regular Wishes, they play the audio.) For a moment, I considered pulling up the audio on my phone to follow along, but I figured it would be more trouble than it was worth and I should just soak in the experience. And WHAT an experience it was!! Oh my goodness. I have
never seen
any fireworks, Disney or otherwise, that magnificent before. Wow wow wow wow.
We were tired - it had been a long day, and we had a great, big, beautiful tomorrow ahead of us. BUT... since we were just a monorail ride away and we wouldn't be going to it this trip, it was hard to say no to riding through Epcot. So we rode a monorail to the Transportation & Ticket Center, and then transferred to the Epcot monorail and made a round trip back to the TTC. This is another thing you could view as either torture or awesome, since we weren't actually *going* to Epcot. I like seeing everything, though!
It was then time to head back to our awesome surprise All-Star Movies (much better than Motel 6) and to our Mighty Ducks room. But not before a Buzz Lightyear selfie.
At school, Caleb is my suitemate and I brought my childhood Woody toy with me to college and he sits on my bed. Whenever Caleb comes in my room, he picks up Woody and pretends that Woody's a different Disney character and say some absurd line. I've gotten everything from "I'm a real boy!" to "I've gotta go find Nemo!" So of course, Caleb had to get a picture in the Toy Story section of All-Star Movies.
So to recap, our transportation for the day included:
- Car to Downtown Disney
- Car to All-Star Movies
- Motor coach to Magic Kingdom
- Monorail to Polynesian
- Monorail to Grand Floridian
- Boat to Magic Kingdom
- Boat to Wilderness Lodge
- Boat to Contemporary
- Monorail to TTC
- Monorail to Epcot
- Monorail to TTC
- Monorail to Magic Kingdom
- Motor coach to All-Star Movies
Lolololololololol and we never entered a theme park and all we paid for was our dinner.
Ordinarily, I would not want to pack in so much activity on arrival day. But since literally all we had was arrival day, park day, and departure day, I was totally fine with it haha. That's something I have come to really enjoy about quick trips - you can go go go all day long and it's completely fine because your trip isn't very long. During extended stays, being out and about all day long makes you way tired. It's too exhausting to tour like that for very long. But for 1 or 2 days, going going going, I really like it.
We got settled in at All-Star Movies and got some shut-eye. As soon as I knew it, it was morning and the phone was ringing for our wake-up call. I picked up the phone, put it on speaker, and gave a half-coherent hello. On the other end of the line, a familiar voice responded.
"Hi, I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs!"
We are gonna hook him UP!
first the billboards... then the horrid Days Inn... then Hogwarts... then the WDW Casting building... and then... finally... 
That just about did it for me. It was real. We were here. Let the memories begin.
