Denise, Aaron, Ashleigh, and I arrived at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World at about 10:00am, fresh from a quick morning at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Here we met up with Mom, Bob, and little Adam – who was ready for a day of fun that he will never remember. They were already inside the park and waiting for us. The bus had taken them from our room directly to the Magic Kingdom without stopping at the Ticket and Transportation Center. This was unprecedented as Walt Disney’s vision had always been to give the illusion that the Magic Kingdom was on a ‘faraway island.’
My Gang ready for a day of fun
We always always always follow the same pattern when we enter Disney World. And when there’s any question about changing it up, see rule one. Thus we headed directly for Adventureland after getting into the park, replacing Denise’s ticket because it had a bad mag-stripe, and posing for a photo on Main Street. I have to say that the first thought that entered my head when I saw Cinderella’s Castle down Main Street was that the park looked fantastic – all dressed up for Fall. Then I saw a horse that was pulling a trolley urinate in the street.
Was it immature of me to snap a photo of the peeing horse? You be the judge…
Adam was rarin’ to go, very excited to be in his rented stroller. We bypassed the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, but I was happy to see that it still existed as it always had. Disneyland’s treehouse had been converted to a Tarzan theme. We grabbed a FastPass for the Jungle Cruise and headed to the first Disney ride that we always hit – and Adam’s first Disney ride ever – The Pirates of the Caribbean. The ride looked great with a few changes and additions from the last time I had seen it. The song was elimated from the beginning, the boat initially floats through an image of Davy Jones projected on a stream of mist, and Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow character has been added in three areas of the ride. I took a picture of my favorite prison pirates.
“I don’t know where we’re goin’, but I like it here”
Adam ready to board his first Disney ride
The prison pirates and Carl
From Pirates, we backtracked a bit to The Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management. Although I sometimes miss the Tropical Serenade, this one is actually more entertaining, and you can always see the original at Disneyland. We then exercised our FastPass on The Jungle Cruise, coasting along on the Ucyali Lolly amidst the animatronic Jungle scenery and the incredibly bad jokes and puns. Our tour guide stared at me for far too long, noting how it feels to be stared at blankly by the crowd. And with that, we were done with Adventureland and headed to Frontierland.
We hit Splash Mountain which was nearly a walk-on. This ride is consistently my favorite Disney attraction, allowing the rider to get the most bang for his buck. Animatronic scenery, music, several drops including a huge one, and ample wetness and air conditioning. I love it. Mom and Bob sat out with Adam while the four of us enjoyed the ride. By this time we were ready to grab some nutritional morsels at the Frontierland Pecos Bill Cafe. Some of us ate the burgers available there, while some traveled further to buy and bring back turkey legs. Ashleigh and I got separated from the group so we ate alone. We finally found them outside under a tree in which a bird was perched that pooped on Denise. Adam ate McDonalds french fries and water. A nearby slovenly fellow devoured a hot dog.
An angled foot in front of Spash Mountain
Sunny on Splash Mountain
Aloof outside the Pecos Bill Cafe
This man had some hot dog with his ketchup
We thought nothing more fitting than to board a rollercoaster after our lunch. We all rudely ran ahead onto the ride, while Denise was presented with a FastPass to reboard Big Thunder Mountain Railroad once someone got off the ride to watch Adam for her. By the time we got off, she declined to ride. The ride was thrilling as always as I attempted to snap photos while on board the out-of-control choo-choo. But the most thrilling moment was when Bob accidentally got on the ride with a complete stranger. By the time he realized what he was doing, the gates were closed and he was forced to ride with some lone woman.
Mom rides solo after Bob boarded the train with ‘another woman’
Yaht and me ready for the thrills
This photo provided endless hours of amusement for us during the week – as Mom looked genuinely terrified of Big Thunder Mountain
The closing moments of the Country Bear Jamboree
The timing was just right as we headed back toward Liberty Square to catch a showing of the Country Bear Jamboree. I always feel special getting to see this attraction as it no longer resides at Disneyland. From there we swung by the Hall of Presidents but the show had just started. So instead we went over to the tried-and-true Haunted Mansion. I was kind of hoping it would be dressed up for the Haunted Mansion Holiday ride-thru, but it was not. However, there was one new scene that was added to replace the lame neon spider-web room – this one displaying a seemingly endless array of overhead stairways. The bride’s attic room had be refurbished as well, as it had at Disneyland. We got out just in time to see the next showing at the Hall of Presidents…
WELCOME…to the Haunted Mansion
Adam has reservations about boarding the Doom-Buggy of the Haunted Mansion
After seeing the Country Bear Jamboree, it was apparent to me WHY it no longer exists at Disneyland; that attraction needs some serious refurbishment!
As a side note, I don’t think Adam’s reservations about boarding the doom-buggy on the Haunted Mansion were for naught. He didn’t seem to care much for the ride, and he fussed almost the whole way through. He’ll need to get over his trepidation, however, because this has always been my favorite ride.
Denise
October 21st, 2007
Maybe if they add a feature where you can shoot stuff from the doom buggy ala Buzz Lightyear, Adam will like Haunted Mansion more.
Aaron
October 24th, 2007