Jeff T
07-27-2007, 04:06 PM
Day 3 - Jeff T's Family Trip to Disney
It’s our 2nd full day at Disney World. The wake-up call from Stitch and Mickey Mouse came early today – 7:00 AM. Everyone was excited to visit the Magic Kingdom! First we had to make a character breakfast reservation at the Cape May Café. Fortunately, it’s right down the hall and down the elevator to the Beach Club lobby. We were seated very quickly. The usual cast of characters were there, including Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and Chip. All of us enjoyed the buffet. It’s very good, but each year the price gets higher and higher. Our bill was almost $80 for breakfast. That’s high for a simple breakfast even with Minnie, Goofy and Chip. After paying the bill and taking a few pictures with the characters, it was off to the bus stop and the Magic Kingdom.
The bus arrived in only 5 minutes, and we quickly boarded to the music from Fantasia. Personally, the new scripted audio announcements on the bus are very informative. When the bus arrived at the Magic Kingdom there was no place to park at the bus stop. As a result, we drove around the Magic Kingdom loop one time and then parked in our designated spot. The kids were really excited to finally be at the Magic Kingdom. Next year we’ll be sure to visit the Magic Kingdom on our first day and not the 3rd day. We arrived at the front gate just as the opening ceremonies were concluding. People were pushing and shoving just to get in the part first – how crazy! We leisurely strolled down Mainstreet towards the castle. We couldn’t walk through the castle, but rather were routed around the castle through Liberty Square. I don’t know why, but this seemed to be the case all day and on other visits throughout the week. Upon entering Fantasyland we noticed no lines on any attraction! This was great – we were able to visit every attraction in a little over two hours. We made a point to ride Peter Pan two times. It’s nearly impossible to get on this ride later in the day – unless you want to wait 2 hours. Both kids enjoyed all the attractions in Fantasyland, especially Mickey’s PhilharMagic – this is a great 3D movie!
Next it was off to Frontierland, where we got fast passes for Splash Mountain, then headed over to Adventureland and the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. This ride was closed last summer when we visited the Magic Kingdom, and we were all anxious to see the newly refurbished attraction and Jack Sparrow! In all the years I have visited Disney, I have never waited in line outside of this attraction. But today, we had to wait in line outside. Fortunately, the line moved very fast and we boarded our boat in approximately 30 minutes. Both of my kids are big fans of the Pirates movie and they really enjoyed the attraction, especially the quick ride down the short dark hill, and see Jack Sparrow. I’ve always liked this attraction and I think the minor changes and refurbishment were fine. This is one classic attraction I would like to see around for a long time with only minor changes and refurbishments as necessary. After Pirates were able to get another round of Fast Passes for Big Thunder Mountain, which was great! Now my son was able to ride Splash Mountain with my wife and we did the kid swap routine. I received a kid swap pass (which can be used by 3 people anytime that same day). We followed the same process for Big Thunder Mountain. My oldest son and I returned to both attractions later in the day using the kid swap Fast Passes and quickly rode both attractions again! Before riding Big Thunder Mountain we stopped for lunch and heat break at Pecos Bills. This is a great place for a burger and to cool down. It was really crowded, but my 3 year-old used this as an opportunity to take a nap. This was a trend for our entire trip. He always seemed to take an early afternoon nap in his stroller while we were eating lunch. After lunch my oldest son and I made our way to Tomorrowland while my wife went to visit the shops on Mainstreet. While in Tomorrow we waited in the standby line for Space Mountain. The wait was only 20 minutes. While in line I found a kid swap Fast Pass on the floor, which we used later in the evening. I guess this was in return for the back luck we had trying to ride RocknRoller Coaster earlier in the week. Space Mountain was great, however it could use a few new elements (i.e. new takeoff effects, better audio, new space station, and improved queue area). Next we waited in line for Monster’s Inc. To my surprise it was a good show. The audience really seemed to enjoy it. It must be noted that this attraction was busy during each of our visits to the Magic Kingdom throughout the week – it must be popular. Next we rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. As always, no wait and a leisurely ride. Because it was so hot outside, it was the typical refreshing ride around Tomorrowland.
My wife and 3 year-old finally decided to quit shopping and join us on a few rides. We used Fast Passes for Buzz Lightyear, which the whole family really enjoyed. I know about the high scoring target and managed to beat everyone’s score. We then went on the Carousel of Progress attraction. This is still a very good show, and a great place to cool off and take a short nap for the adults! I hope to see it stay for many years to come, even update the last seen if possible. It was getting close to dinner time and we had to take the monorail to the Contemporary Resort for our dinner reservation at Chef Mickey’s. We arrived about 30 minutes early and were quickly seated. I must first mention we were asked to have a pictures taken by a cast member before being seated. They seated us in a small outer edge room adjacent to the beginning of the buffet line. A large family of 20 was seated at 2 tables next to us. One table of adults and the other of teenagers. Boy they had a good time with the characters. We enjoyed Chef Mickey’s and will make it a point to come back on our next visit. The food was very good and so were the deserts. It was a little expensive, and they managed to hit us up for pictures they took of our family while being seated. The visit to Chef Mickey’s was $150 for 2 adults, 2 kids and a set of pictures. But like my son said, “we got to see all the good characters…Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Pluto all in one place”! After dinner we took the monorail to the Polynesian for a drink at O’hana’s. This kids played in the upper lobby adjacent to O’hana’s while my wife and I enjoyed a few good drinks.
The drinks rejuvenated us and we were off to the Magic Kingdom to watch SpectroMagic. We lined up outside Tony’s Town Square and had a good view of the parade. Everyone was very tired and hot so we decided to exit the park and head to the bus stop for a ride back to the Beach Club Resort. The bus was there waiting and we quickly boarded. Loud music was playing, while drove me crazy. After a long day in the park, the last thing I wanted to hear was load Disney music and more marketing info about the park. They should just turn off the lights, let you relax and announce the resort stops as they come up.
We finally made it back to the Beach Club. I quickly went to the Market Place to grab milk for the kids and they up to the room for a shower and to bed. I was so tired but could not fall asleep. Everyone else immediately fell asleep. I watched the Disney Park channel for an hour and eventually fell asleep. Tomorrow swimming in the AM at Storm Along Bay and EPCOT in the afternoon and evening. We decided to change our plans slightly and include a little more time in the pool. It was so hot, that we really needed some time away from the parks.
It’s our 2nd full day at Disney World. The wake-up call from Stitch and Mickey Mouse came early today – 7:00 AM. Everyone was excited to visit the Magic Kingdom! First we had to make a character breakfast reservation at the Cape May Café. Fortunately, it’s right down the hall and down the elevator to the Beach Club lobby. We were seated very quickly. The usual cast of characters were there, including Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and Chip. All of us enjoyed the buffet. It’s very good, but each year the price gets higher and higher. Our bill was almost $80 for breakfast. That’s high for a simple breakfast even with Minnie, Goofy and Chip. After paying the bill and taking a few pictures with the characters, it was off to the bus stop and the Magic Kingdom.
The bus arrived in only 5 minutes, and we quickly boarded to the music from Fantasia. Personally, the new scripted audio announcements on the bus are very informative. When the bus arrived at the Magic Kingdom there was no place to park at the bus stop. As a result, we drove around the Magic Kingdom loop one time and then parked in our designated spot. The kids were really excited to finally be at the Magic Kingdom. Next year we’ll be sure to visit the Magic Kingdom on our first day and not the 3rd day. We arrived at the front gate just as the opening ceremonies were concluding. People were pushing and shoving just to get in the part first – how crazy! We leisurely strolled down Mainstreet towards the castle. We couldn’t walk through the castle, but rather were routed around the castle through Liberty Square. I don’t know why, but this seemed to be the case all day and on other visits throughout the week. Upon entering Fantasyland we noticed no lines on any attraction! This was great – we were able to visit every attraction in a little over two hours. We made a point to ride Peter Pan two times. It’s nearly impossible to get on this ride later in the day – unless you want to wait 2 hours. Both kids enjoyed all the attractions in Fantasyland, especially Mickey’s PhilharMagic – this is a great 3D movie!
Next it was off to Frontierland, where we got fast passes for Splash Mountain, then headed over to Adventureland and the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. This ride was closed last summer when we visited the Magic Kingdom, and we were all anxious to see the newly refurbished attraction and Jack Sparrow! In all the years I have visited Disney, I have never waited in line outside of this attraction. But today, we had to wait in line outside. Fortunately, the line moved very fast and we boarded our boat in approximately 30 minutes. Both of my kids are big fans of the Pirates movie and they really enjoyed the attraction, especially the quick ride down the short dark hill, and see Jack Sparrow. I’ve always liked this attraction and I think the minor changes and refurbishment were fine. This is one classic attraction I would like to see around for a long time with only minor changes and refurbishments as necessary. After Pirates were able to get another round of Fast Passes for Big Thunder Mountain, which was great! Now my son was able to ride Splash Mountain with my wife and we did the kid swap routine. I received a kid swap pass (which can be used by 3 people anytime that same day). We followed the same process for Big Thunder Mountain. My oldest son and I returned to both attractions later in the day using the kid swap Fast Passes and quickly rode both attractions again! Before riding Big Thunder Mountain we stopped for lunch and heat break at Pecos Bills. This is a great place for a burger and to cool down. It was really crowded, but my 3 year-old used this as an opportunity to take a nap. This was a trend for our entire trip. He always seemed to take an early afternoon nap in his stroller while we were eating lunch. After lunch my oldest son and I made our way to Tomorrowland while my wife went to visit the shops on Mainstreet. While in Tomorrow we waited in the standby line for Space Mountain. The wait was only 20 minutes. While in line I found a kid swap Fast Pass on the floor, which we used later in the evening. I guess this was in return for the back luck we had trying to ride RocknRoller Coaster earlier in the week. Space Mountain was great, however it could use a few new elements (i.e. new takeoff effects, better audio, new space station, and improved queue area). Next we waited in line for Monster’s Inc. To my surprise it was a good show. The audience really seemed to enjoy it. It must be noted that this attraction was busy during each of our visits to the Magic Kingdom throughout the week – it must be popular. Next we rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. As always, no wait and a leisurely ride. Because it was so hot outside, it was the typical refreshing ride around Tomorrowland.
My wife and 3 year-old finally decided to quit shopping and join us on a few rides. We used Fast Passes for Buzz Lightyear, which the whole family really enjoyed. I know about the high scoring target and managed to beat everyone’s score. We then went on the Carousel of Progress attraction. This is still a very good show, and a great place to cool off and take a short nap for the adults! I hope to see it stay for many years to come, even update the last seen if possible. It was getting close to dinner time and we had to take the monorail to the Contemporary Resort for our dinner reservation at Chef Mickey’s. We arrived about 30 minutes early and were quickly seated. I must first mention we were asked to have a pictures taken by a cast member before being seated. They seated us in a small outer edge room adjacent to the beginning of the buffet line. A large family of 20 was seated at 2 tables next to us. One table of adults and the other of teenagers. Boy they had a good time with the characters. We enjoyed Chef Mickey’s and will make it a point to come back on our next visit. The food was very good and so were the deserts. It was a little expensive, and they managed to hit us up for pictures they took of our family while being seated. The visit to Chef Mickey’s was $150 for 2 adults, 2 kids and a set of pictures. But like my son said, “we got to see all the good characters…Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Pluto all in one place”! After dinner we took the monorail to the Polynesian for a drink at O’hana’s. This kids played in the upper lobby adjacent to O’hana’s while my wife and I enjoyed a few good drinks.
The drinks rejuvenated us and we were off to the Magic Kingdom to watch SpectroMagic. We lined up outside Tony’s Town Square and had a good view of the parade. Everyone was very tired and hot so we decided to exit the park and head to the bus stop for a ride back to the Beach Club Resort. The bus was there waiting and we quickly boarded. Loud music was playing, while drove me crazy. After a long day in the park, the last thing I wanted to hear was load Disney music and more marketing info about the park. They should just turn off the lights, let you relax and announce the resort stops as they come up.
We finally made it back to the Beach Club. I quickly went to the Market Place to grab milk for the kids and they up to the room for a shower and to bed. I was so tired but could not fall asleep. Everyone else immediately fell asleep. I watched the Disney Park channel for an hour and eventually fell asleep. Tomorrow swimming in the AM at Storm Along Bay and EPCOT in the afternoon and evening. We decided to change our plans slightly and include a little more time in the pool. It was so hot, that we really needed some time away from the parks.