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Day 76- Magic Kingdom & A quick stop at the Contemporary Resort

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Today we are going to the Contemporary Resort first; we have family in town that arrived this morning. We see them and get to say a quick hello before they go back to their Disney resort to rest. It is so good to see everyone! We say goodbye and head for Magic Kingdom on the Monorail.

There is a little dude who is 3 and he was fixing to have a melt down. That little lip was sticking out and his eyes were tearing up. I smiled at his mom, looked back at him, and said, “Hey, how are you?” We talked to him for a little while and found that he got to dance with Baloo earlier today! I asked many questions and he finally smiled, but he was intrigued with his bottom lip sticking out. His mom said that she was glad for the help, and thanked us for taking the time to talk with him.

Magic Kingdom is beautiful, and today is much hotter than expected. It is in the mid-70s, and very busy. We visit a few of the shops on Main Street USA. It is so pretty and festive in its Christmas Season. All of the Christmas lights are beautiful.

We check the Main Street Bakery to see how long the lines are, and it is so very busy. We have waited in these lines for Starbucks before, but today we decide to skip it and head for Adventureland. As we enter into Adventureland, I turn and see the line to meet Peter Pan. Peter Pan is a pop-up character; he doesn’t have a set schedule like many of the other characters do, so it can be a little bit tricky getting to meet him. There are several people in the line sitting and waiting. We have been wanting to meet him, but the line closes quickly. So, we are elated and step into the line to wait. As we stand and wait, they close the line immediately after us. I am totally surprised, but so glad we got in line when we did. I am glad we get to see Peter Pan! While we are waiting, I see a lady we met on the Monorail a few days earlier, this is their 14th day and they go home tomorrow. We chatted while we waited in line.

It is the coolest thing to see Peter Pan interact with everyone. He has this amazing ability to make it seem like you are the only one who is here talking with him. I have seen him from a distance and he is so much fun to watch. One time a mom let her kids meet him, then told them to “move it” and she jumped in, talked to him, and got a picture. She looked like she was a kid again!

We were so excited to see the family finish in front of us… it was our turn! Tooti and Twinkie walked up to Peter Pan and it was so much fun watching them! Peter Pan is now one of my favorite characters to meet! Oh, it is my turn now! Yay!

We have not eaten, but the sun has set, and the chill of the night is rolling in quickly. I suggest a Dole Whip, and a quick walk to the front entrance. I know we will be shivering, but a Dole Whip is my favorite! We make our way past the beautifully lit Crystal Palace. I can see Tigger inside interacting with people at their table, and Pooh is in the distance! It is a great place for a character dinner; they have a buffet and are very good about food allergies.

Main Street USA is glowing with lights and happy people. I love the bustle of the holiday crowds as we make our way to the front entrance. We have met so many nice people today. I love hearing about their Disney experiences, and the parents having a ton of fun, I wonder if they’re having more fun than the kids sometimes!

We get on the Monorail, it is so very full, and it is only 6:30pm. It has been a wonderful day! Once we get to the Ticket and Transportation Center, we take the tram out to our car. What a nice day!

Day 59- Magic Kingdom and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile

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The sun is shining and the day is beautiful. We were running errands earlier today and saw the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile! I love seeing the Weinermobile! We were going to call home, but we forgot to tell Twinkie we saw it! So, now we are at the Magic Kingdom parking lot (at the Transportation and Ticket Center), thoroughly excited that we got a great parking spot as we wait on the tram. The kids wanted to walk, but they were waiting for the tram with me. Hey, Mom! Look! There is the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile!

What!? I am so willing to walk to get to see this amazing and fun Weinermobile! We chased the Weinermobile when the kids were little and we were driving in the country. We were driving near a lake where it was hilly and I thought I saw something that I had never seen. We sped up and saw it was the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile on the road in front of us! Yes, we chased it for over an hour before it stopped in a Whataburger parking lot. We met the driver, got pictures, and ate supper there. Then, we drove over an hour back home! Yes, we will do what needs to be done to have fun, like driving out of our way to get to see this fun vehicle! Today, we didn’t even have to chase it down!

After we got pictures with the legendary Weinermobile, we were off to catch the Monorail to Magic Kingdom. As we get into the Main Street USA area, we see that A Frozen Holiday Wish is going on, and Elsa is just about to light the castle. We run up to the top level of the Train Depot and just in time to watch from the balcony! It is beautiful!

Our first FastPass+ is Pirates of the Caribbean. I had heard that the crowds are heavy at Magic Kingdom today, and sure enough, they are very busy.

We scan out MagicBands for Pirates of the Caribbean quickly and get in line. The FastPass+ line is fairly long, and the mom behind us is trying to look past us as we turn another corner. I laughed and said that we go down this next hallway, then a little hill, and we will be to the boats. She relayed the information to her family, and we chuckled. We began to talk, started laughing, and she asked, “How many times have you been on this ride?” A lot! She asked us what out 3 favorite rides are! Oh, I love Peter Pan’s Flight. She said, “We have FastPasses for that one!” I love Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train, and Pirates of the Caribbean. It turns out that they had FastPasses lined up for all of these! We shared as much as we could in a couple of minutes, and they thanked us for all of the hints to enjoy Magic Kingdom!

Our next FastPass+ is Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, so, we head for Tomorrowland. However, on the way out of Adventureland is the Dole Whip stand. We grab two Dole Whip Floats and a pineapple wedge on our way.

We stop as we cross the bridge into Tomorrowland and sit to finish our Dole Whip Floats. We watch Cinderella’s beautiful castle with all if its thick, icy lights! It is so fabulously beautiful.

Now, on to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin! The FastPass+ line is very quick and we are soon on the ride! It is so much fun to shoot the targets and watch the score go up over 100,000! I can see Tooti’s score and she has a perfect 999,999: Galactic Hero! As we get off of the ride, onto the moving sidewalk, we are excited to see our pictures as we round the corner! The cast member says that the pictures are already linked to our MagicBands! How cool!

We must stop and get Tooti’s “I’m Celebrating” badge! If you get 999,999, a perfect score, take a picture to show the cast member in the store, they will give you a “Galactic Hero” pin and announce it to everyone!

The day is perfect and turns into a cool evening. It was a fun, yet busy, day at Magic Kingdom!

Day 48- Magic Kingdom’s Jungle Cruise

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Florida is a very windy 64 degrees today, so we get to pull out our leggings, sweat shirts, and jackets to head for Disney! We had the first cold front blow into the Orlando area last night.

We get to the Transportation and Ticket Center and the parking lot is not as full as it usually is by this time. We parked close, so we decided to walk to the Monorail on this brisk afternoon. We get Monorail Black, with the black and red stripes!

Magic Kingdom is perfectly busy. We get our bags checked quickly, scan our MagicBands at the gate, and now we are ready to walk down Main Street USA. We make our way towards Cinderella’s Castle! As we near Cinderella’s Castle, the Dream Along With Mickey stage show begins. It is a really good show.

Our first FastPass+ is for Peter Pan’s Flight in Fantasyland. If you are unable to go through Cinderella’s Castle during a show, you can go around the Castle. There is a walkway to the left, as you walk toward Liberty Square, if you turn right at Sleepy Hollow Refreshments, there is a path that goes up and around Cinderella’s Castle. It is a very pretty walk with the trees on the left and you can still see Mickey and his friends on stage! Oh, now they are changing groups! The princes and princesses are taking the stage!

We arrive at Peter Pan’s Flight and soon we are on our flying ship!

Next, we are going to the Jungle Cruise. I love this ride. It is so fun to interact with the skipper of the boat!

I know it is really chilly with the sun just beginning to set, but I must have a Dole Whip Float! I said to the kids, “I am getting a Dole Whip if you’d care to join me!” We will have three! We were off and enjoying our Dole Whips on the way to the front gates.

We turn down Main Street USA and I can hear the music! Oh, I just missed the Flag Retreat Ceremony, but they are walking down the street, and pause just before their final turn; I step into the street and take a moment to see the Veteran they are honoring. He has the American Flag that has flown over Magic Kingdom today, and he is surrounded by fellow patriots. As they turn, their steps are in perfect sync, and our Veteran’s face is so full of emotion. I am so touched that Disney does this for our men and women that have served our great country.

Yes, it is beautifully cool and sunny and time to head home. I enjoy watching a little family on the Monorail. The dad is sitting the little dude on the seat by the window and then, he slides over, picks him up, and sits him on his lap so the little boy can see out the windows. Their interaction is so sweet. I love seeing so many families having fun with their little ones.

What a beautiful fun day!

Day 43- Magic Kingdom

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We are having beautiful weather this week! It is chilly in the morning, hot in the afternoon, and back to chilly at night. I love Florida weather.

Magic Kingdom is beautiful as we walk down Main Street USA, and see the sun shining on the buildings! There is a nice amount of people; it’s not very crowded today and seems to have a more laidback atmosphere. Oh, listen, the Mainstreet Philharmonic band is playing, and a crowd of people have gathered to listen and dance! Fun!

We have a little time before our first FastPass+, so we go through Adventureland toward Frontierland. As we pass through Adventureland, I see the lines for Dole Whips are so very, very long! I don’t remember ever seeing this many people in line for a Dole Whip.

Now, on around to Frontierland. I watch people taking pictures with Splash Mountain in the background, and listen as children are playing and having a wonderful time. I walked into Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Café, and noticed that somehow, I missed that there is a Texas flag on the wall. Inside, there is this old west saloon that you can eat in, an indoor courtyard, and even more seating outside. It is a fun place to eat.

Now off to Pirates of the Caribbean! I love this ride! We have a full boat, and a little girl sitting between her dad and mom behind us said, “I feel like a sandwich sitting between you two!” I turned and said, “And a very pretty sandwich you are!” She giggled and thanked me. “…and your sister!” Both of her parents chuckled, they were a cute family! The ride was great, but this time, the cannons went off and when the “cannon ball” landed in the water, it soaked my side of the boat. Then, one hit near Twinkie and her side of the boat got soaked too!

We get off the boat and there is a moving sidewalk (or “gangplank,” as the announcer says) that takes you back upstairs to exit. I like the moving sidewalk going uphill! Very fun!

It was in the mid-80’s this afternoon, so the Tiki group was misting people!

As we are walking to the front of the park, we can hear the music coming from Cinderella’s Castle for the Dream Along with Mickey show. We catch a glimpse as we turn towards the Crystal Palace on our way to Main Street USA. Such a beautiful day!

Day 35- Magic Kingdom

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Magic Kingdom parking is so very busy at 4pm. There are two lines of cars going into park. The tram is very busy, but we are parked close to the Transportation Center and it is only about a 5 minute walk to get to the Monorail. As we get close, we see the Monorail is not running at this time, so we are redirected to the Ferry Boat. The Ferry Boat is a few minutes out, and the dock is filling up, but the Ferry Boat can hold a huge group of people.

The little girl behind us is a little hesitant to go on the Ferry, so I said, “If you go upstairs to the front, the breeze blows through your hair and your (Elsa) dress. It is so much fun!” Her mom repeated it to her. Soon, we were on the boat and her dad was walking up the stairs with her, heading for the front of the Ferry Boat! It is so much fun this time of the year.

Line for the ferry…
Lots of coins!
We’ve docked!

Magic Kingdom is bustling as we arrive, and there are so many people just getting there. If you plan to come for the Not So Scary Party, you will need to plan ahead! Tonight’s party is sold out again. Now, we are off to our first FastPass+ for Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor. It is fun to hear the parents and kids laugh in what is a very fun, interactive attraction!

Our next destination is Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin! The lines are really moving fast today, we have our FastPass+, and just as I step onto the moving sidewalk, the ride stops. My spinning car is just behind the rail. I stopped and froze, just as the Cast Member advised me to step back towards him. Oh, good, I didn’t know what to do! In less than a minute, it was up and going once again. I got on my spinning car and was off, looking forward to playing this game! Tooti had the highest score of the day, Twinkie had a good score, and mine was way off today.  We exited onto the moving sidewalk after the ride. Then, we see several TV screens and we have to find the funny faces we made when they took our pictures during the ride!

We are thirsty, so we go towards Adventureland to get a Dole Whip! It is cool and creamy, perfect with a hot, sunny, Florida day! While we are waiting in line, I see a very young family of five with a Dole Whip Float. It is so sweet, they had their 5 straws and the little girls were helping put them in the float. The mom got a sip and gave the littlest boy a sip. I remember when we would share our special treats when the kids were little. Makes me smile to see how kind the family is as they share!

Yay! We got through the long line. Now we look for seating, but it is full, so back across Main Street USA. We see the yellow umbrellas standing over the tables outside of the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor. What a wonderful place to see the costumes! Look! That whole family is dressed like mimes! We saw some absolutely great costumes, and more are going by as we see eggs and bacon, peanut butter and jelly, Mary Poppins and a penguin, and so many others.

Now, it is after 6pm and we must exit Magic Kingdom before 7pm, when the Not So Scary Party begins. The Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party is starting and we get watch as we are leaving. Oh, there Waldo and Ms. Waldo! Picture, please?

There is an amazingly huge crowd of people leaving, and as I turn to look back, there is an amazingly huge crowd of people going into Magic Kingdom for the party! Wow!

What a wonderful afternoon of rides, dole whips, and sunny weather!

Day 30- Afternoon Tea at the Grand Floridian & Magic Kingdom

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Today is a celebration day! We have completed 29 days, and today is our 30th day! Now, where to celebrate? DISNEY WORLD! Yes, and today, we should celebrate with high tea! So, off we go to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa to celebrate.

We noticed it is monsoon-like outside; I think Valet is a great choice as I am dressed to the nines and need to look nice for tea. As we are walking in, we see Richard, who is often greeting guests at the resort. We first saw him back in March during our visit on Dapper Day. He is dressed to the nines as well and is so very kind and happy.

There are a few minutes to spare and that will be a wonderful time to browse the stores upstairs around the Grand Room. There is piano music playing in the lobby; it is so relaxing and wonderfully dreamy.

A little shopping…
Looking out the window of the shop!
Mad Hatter’s Hat!
That’s a LOT of water!
The Lobby
Basin White!
Love their soaps!
Piano player…
Overlooking the resort…

Tea Time! We are seated by the windows, which is perfect because I love watching the people going by outside. Our waitress is wonderful and our tea is perfectly hot as we begin our teatime. We chose the “Buckingham Tea”. The chef made us the most amazing gluten-free tea sandwiches for the first course. Our second course was special breads from Babycakes with lemon curd, Devonshire cream and a jam. Finally, our last course had amazing chocolate mousse and coconut macaroons. It was a delightful time!

Now, we are off to the parks. Tonight we are going to Magic Kingdom, and the rains are pouring down once again as we head to the Monorail. Then, as we are exiting at the Magic Kingdom stop, I realized that with Florida life, you just get used to the flood of water pouring from the sky. So many kids were having a blast kicking up their heels and wading through the ankle-deep water. Did I say that we usually have shoes that work with the water and rain? Today, we only have our tennis shoes, so our feet are soaked. No problem, a little rain can’t stop us, nor can a monsoon! (Monsoon is Texan for tons of rain!)

Storm rollin’ in!
Rainy Monorail ride…
Windy on the water…
Lots of rain!

I stopped in to get a Band-Aid at the First Aid Station, when a lady came in and asked a question I had never heard. She asked the staff, “When do they determine that it is time to shut down the park?” The attendant said, “This is Florida life, we don’t ever shut down the park for rain.” She was amazed that the park would allow people to stand under the awnings until the rain stopped. It was a funny thing to hear as we headed out in the pouring rain with our umbrellas, wet shoes, soppy purses, and dripping dresses to ride our first ride of the day! It’s a rainy day in Florida, good thing Mickey has a raincoat!…

First ride is Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin! It is one of our favorite rides and we love the challenge of hitting the Zurg targets with the cool laser shooters.

Next, we head for the People Mover! It ended up pausing twice for a couple of minutes inside of Space Mountain. Instead of darkness like usual, the lights were on and we got to see what the track and structure actually look like! It was pretty amazing to see.

Puddles!
Inside Space Mountain…

Then, we have a FastPass+ for Peter Pan’s Flight, my favorite ride! Ok, one of my favorite rides at Magic Kingdom!

Now off to get a Dole Whip for Twinkie, this is her first day back with us after being sick. We are tickled pink that she is back up to speed for day 30!

Time to head home. We get on the monorail with a great young family! They were so fun to talk to! We were so glad to meet them and their son. As we get off the Monorail we look to see if it’s still raining, make that monsoon-ing, as we head home…

On Main Street…

Day 27- Small World and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom

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Today is Saturday and Magic Kingdom is open until 1AM, with extra magic hours until 3AM. The weather is a hot 94 degrees on this October day, so we are waiting until this evening to go to the park. We arrived at the parking gates about 7PM. There were the two lines for parking tonight and they were both backed up and stopped. That means it is going to be busy.

Yep, I have never parked that far out, but the trams were running on a good schedule. Our Monorail was full; everyone was happy and we were in a good crowd of people. As one was pulling away, another was ready to pull in and load up! Nice! As we arrived at Magic Kingdom, I could see the front gate was very busy and full.

As we went into the park, there was a steady flow of people coming in and a steady flow leaving out of the park.

Our first ride is in an hour, so we decided to get a Dole Whip. We sat near The Magic Carpets of Aladdin to enjoy our vanilla pineapple floats. It is a nice place to sit, not too busy, and a quieter spot to relax for a minute.

Getting a dole whip!
Sitting by the Magic Carpets!

We have a FastPass+ for It’s A Small World and the lines are long tonight. I love FastPasses!  Our boat is loaded and we are off. If you look up to the right as your boat takes off, Pinocchio Village Haus restaurant is there and you will see little children waving through the windows overhead, so we wave back and they smile! With it being so busy, we had time as we waited to disembark and began chatting with the family in front of us, and then the family behind us joined it. It was fun, and they were nice! As we exited the boat, the chimes from the Small World clock were going off for the 9PM bells!

With twenty minutes until our next FastPass, we sat on the stone wall near the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel. A lady and her mom sat hear us, and in a few minutes, this little dude walked up. He said that he lost his mom; I listened and the grandma told him not to worry. I jumped up and said, “We can let a cast member know and they will find her [his mom].”  The lady agreed. I turned, and Tooti was already on her way to the cast member that was near Pinocchio Village Haus. The cast member was great! She asked if his mom got lost, and the little boy said, “Yes.” She talked to him for a minute and he was doing well. In just a couple of minutes we heard his name being called and the whole group of us jumped up and pointed his family in the right direction! It was the coolest thing to see the oldest daughter, she was about 9 or 10, and she ran and just wrapped her arms around her now found little brother in the cutest bear hug! Success: child reunited with this family. We could hear his mom yelling for the family and the sister was yelling, “WE FOUND HIM!!!” We were elated; thanks to all of the people that helped! Happy!

Now, it is time for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Tooti asked if we could ride in the front. I love riding in the front, it is not jerky, and it is a smooth ride. At the end of the ride is the Seven Dwarfs’ cottage and you can see Snow White dancing with the Seven Dwarfs around. I love this cottage! Ew! There is the wicked witch at their door. Oh, now we are exiting the Mine Train and the path takes you around to see the other side of the cottage as you exit.

The entrance…
FastPass!
Lights…
The end of the ride!

The park is crowded with the late hours, and we are going to head home. As we get to the transportation center and onto the tram, I can hear the fireworks going off, and could see them through a few spaces between the tram station and the monorail area. But, as we head towards the parking lot, I can get glimpses of the fireworks! Beautiful.

Leaving the park…

Day 1- Magic Kingdom

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The days before our start of 365 days at Disney were filled with total anticipation.  Where will this take us and what does God have in mind to send us on the journey?  I am so excited to see this unfold and glad to get to take you along with us on the ride!

We started our beautiful day going to Magic Kingdom. After you park, there are two options to get to MK- the Monorail or the Ferryboat.  We took the boat ride today and were so excited to see the boat not so full.  Maybe that means there won’t be long lines! We started across the water to see Cinderella’s Castle…  So pretty.  As we disembarked, the lines were pouring into the park from the Monorail, resort busses and the boats, so the area was full of people.

As we entered into Magic Kingdom, the place was bustling with Disney Magic.  Mickey’s signature flowers were out front, pumpkins dotted the landscape and the bustle of excitement is contagious.  Little people coming for the first time; their eyes sparkling with anticipation of what the day will hold.  Lots of families laughing together and making their way to the castle!  There, in front of the castle, was the “Move it! Shake it! Celebrate it! Street Parade” dance party going on.

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There’s just something about a dancing monkey… or orangutan!
After we watched the conga line start, we headed around Cinderella’s Castle and noticed the line for Merida was much shorter than summertime lines, so we stopped to meet her for the first time!

Shirley was attending the line to let us into Merida’s home…
A peek of Merida’s place.
Merida’s Family
Jimmy was the character attendant assisting Merida today!
Merida and Me
Merida and the girls!

After Merida, we headed towards Liberty Square and rode the Liberty Belle Riverboat for the first time.  It’s a great way to see Tom Sawyer’s Island and even watch Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad as you pass by.

The entrance…
Walking on!
On the boat…
On the river…
Pretty views…
You can see the Castle!
Helloooo!
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
How cool!

We then headed off to Pirates of The Caribbean, but the line was quite a bit longer than expected for an “off-season” September day. We did get to see a bit of the Pirate show with Captain Jack Sparrow though!  Next, we decided to pick up one of our favorite treats- DOLE WHIP FLOATS!  They are tasty and even gluten free. 🙂  Twinkie and I like the pineapple and vanilla swirl and Tooti likes the orange and vanilla swirl.  They make the floats with Dole Pineapple Juice instead of soda.  YUM!

Captain Jack!
The Pirates of the Caribbean ride…
A 40 minute wait or Fast Pass + Option
Aloha Isle
The Menu… It’s even on the Disney Dining Plan for resort guests.
Delicious!

We headed towards Main Street to head back to the front gates, but paused to watch the end of the parade on the way out.  The line for the Express Monorail was short and it was a quick trip back to the Ticket & Transportation Center and MK parking lot.

The parade coming back down Main St.
Express Monorail line
The Monorail arriving… and the Ferryboat in the background.

A fun first day!!