Day 70- Magic Kingdom & Talking Mickey Mouse!

Happy Sunday Morning! It is a beautifully HOT day today! We were cold last night, but today, we are putting on our summer clothes and the kids also put on their Keens sandals. We park at the Ticket and Transportation Center and walk to the Monorail. It is almost a half-mile walk from the car to the Monorail, and we parked close today, in the Zurg parking lot! We hop on the Monorail and soon we are at Magic Kingdom! It is busy today as we get our bags checked and our MagicBands scanned!

It is only 4 days until Thanksgiving and 32 days until Christmas; we checked the countdown board near City Hall. Across the way from City Hall is the Town Square Theater where we are going to meet Mickey Mouse! I love what Walt Disney reminds us of: “I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse.” Well, we got to meet that wonderful Mouse today!

After we scanned our FastPasses, we were directed into a waiting area, where we were happy to find the character’s mail station, complete with a bag of fan letters to Mickey Mouse himself. Soon, it is time to enter Mickey Mouse’s Dressing Room! Mickey was looking into his mirror as we walked in with a couple of other families. He greeted the first family and they had a few moments to get to meet with him and take pictures. Then, it was our turn. Do you know how much fun it is to have Mickey Mouse greet you, TALK to you, and hug you? He is so kind and warm… it’s almost like being in a dream. We all got our big Mickey hugs and he even asked if he could take a picture with us! Of course! After our picture, he walked us to the door, and thanked us for visiting as we said our goodbyes. I love Mickey Mouse!

We walked out of Mickey’s dressing room and into the little shop. I could hardly see anything, my heart was full, and my hugs were complete for the day. The gardens outside of the shop are just beautiful and so Christmas-like, poinsettias surrounded by greenery.

Oh, OK, back to reality. Oh, wait! This is my reality! We make our way to Main Street USA see all of the windows decorated with beautiful Christmas colors, hats with Mickey ears, and many of the characters you will find in Magic Kingdom. The Main Street Confectionary is full of wonderful sugary smells. The Main Street Gallery has beautiful art on display as we pass through.

Of course, Main Street Bakery is our next stop. We grab a coffee and have a little over half an hour until our next FastPass+. As we are finding a place to sit and visit, we see the Tomorrowland Terrace quick service restaurant is now open! It has been closed since we started our 365 at Disney journey, but today, it is open again! There are plenty of visitors that have found this little oasis. It is decorated in a fun, futuristic way.

Soon enough, the time flies by and we are off to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin! We arrive, scan our MagicBands, and start to step inside to the FastPass+ line, but it is absolutely packed and the line is not moving. We know this is not the normal wait, but it is worth the slight delay. After a few minutes, we are moving, and soon, we are scanning our MagicBands at the second scanner. We notice that you cannot see Buzz Lightyear where he usually greets you. Instead, there is a curtain, and I cannot wait to see if they have made some changes. Quickly, we are on the ride and moving along. I got my best score of 305,200, Tooti got 999,999 (Galactic Hero!) and Twinkie’s score was 730,300.

As we are leaving, we see the People Mover has a long line. I have never seen it this long! We love to go on this, but today, I think we will pass. We walk over to Cosmic Ray’s quick service to sit for a minute. As we leave, the cast member has stickers! I walked up to him and asked, “Can I have a sticker?” He chuckles and says, “Why yes, you can have a sticker!” Then, he turns to Tooti and Twinkie and asks, “Would you like a sticker?” For some reason, when you are my age and ask for a sticker, it always cracks them up! TeeHee, I did get my sticker.

We head for the park exit, and the park is really busy since it is Thanksgiving week. I love Thanksgiving! Today was a beautifully hot day, with rain beginning just as we made it to our car! It was the perfect ending to a wonderful afternoon!

Day 68- Animal Kingdom & Magic Kingdom

It is a beautiful day with sunny skies and a few white clouds. The temperature is in the mid-seventies, with a bit of a chill in the air. We are off to Animal Kingdom, and later, Magic Kingdom. Both are very busy the week before Thanksgiving!

We park at Animal Kingdom and catch the tram. The tram attendant is so funny and has a great sense of humor. We were waiting on more people to load up, and a young man ran back to his car to get something. As he came back, the attendant called for no more boarding… just kidding! Tooti needed to run back to the car for something, and the tram attendant said we had time, so she hopped out and came back quickly! We waited for a few more people to climb aboard, and then we were off to the entrance.

Walking up to the gate, we spot Meeko and Governor John Ratcliffe off to the right. We’ve never met either one, so we venture over to the short line to get some pictures. They were a lot of fun. Apparently the Governor does not like high fives… hehe!

Animal Kingdom is nice and cool in the shade of the trees. I love the foliage! We notice how many orchids and other tropical plants grow up in the trees. It is absolutely fascinating to see how many plants can grow on the trees. Then, we grab some lunch at Rainforest Cafe. The atrium area is so cute! There is a green alligator, a purple elephant, and plenty of frogs to take pictures with in the courtyard. It is a fun place to eat.

After our meal, we re-enter the park (Rainforest Cafe is just outside of the gates) and watch the different birds that are in the Oasis. The ibis are up in the trees; they are so pretty and white. We are calling it an early day at Animal Kingdom, and head out about an hour before they close today.

Animal Kingdom now has its Christmas tree up! The decorations are so cool and there are many animals all over the tree.

We are now off to Magic Kingdom! As we enter, I hear that the Flag Retreat Ceremony is beginning. We stop, watch, and sing along. I love hearing our country and our American Veteran being honored.

After the Flag Retreat Ceremony, we head to Main Street Bakery. It is starting to get very chilly and the wind has picked up. We decide to make it a short trip since we don’t have our coats with us. So, I grab a coffee and we head back out to the Monorail. Magic Kingdom closes tonight at 7pm, unless you have a special ticket for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. The front entrance is bustling as people pour in for the party tonight.

We go up to the Monorail and the platform fills quickly. The Monorail pulls up and it is absolutely packed with Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Partygoers! As they finish unloading, we hop on, and our car fills up fast.

The last few moments of the Monorail ride, I asked a young mom and her little daughter if they had a good day. The mom said, “Yes, it is our first time to come to Disney World. I wish I had someone who knew what the best thing to do is. We only have 2 more days, and she [her daughter] loved Magic Kingdom.” I said that we love Magic Kingdom and that I would probably go to Animal Kingdom. We recommend getting a FastPass+ for Kilimanjaro Safaris; it is wonderful. Also, Animal Kingdom tends to close earlier than the other parks, so (since they had Park Hopper tickets) they could come back to Magic Kingdom or go to Hollywood Studios. She was curious about Hollywood Studios. Twinkie suggested it since they have a lot for the little ones, including a Disney Junior show. We had a nice chat and the mom looked refreshed as the Monorail arrived at the Transportation and Ticket Center. I love getting to meet fun families and offer suggestions!

After we get off of the Monorail and walk toward the exit ramp, I see an older lady on a scooter dressed in fabulous Christmas attire. Her daughter had a Mrs. Claus dress on, too! I stopped and said, “I want to go with y’all!” The older lady grinned and they both laughed! They were so cute in their festive Christmas dresses! I love Christmas, and it lasts about for 2 months at Walt Disney World!

Day 60- Magic Kingdom and the Holly Jolly Trolley Show

It is a fabulous day in Florida and the weather is amazing! The skies are blue and the clouds are just beautiful and wispy. It is hot, in the 80s, with a perfect breeze. We are going to Magic Kingdom.

We see three deer as we are driving to the Transportation and Ticket center! I love Disney’s deer; they are so peaceful and beautiful. It is busy going to Disney, and the atmosphere is happy. The traffic was good and the parking is great! We park way at the far end and have a good walk to the tram. There is one pulling away as we get close, and the other one is waiting to pull up, with a third one waiting behind them. I love how Disney does things with excellence.

We get to Magic Kingdom and it is nicely busy. It doesn’t take very long to go through bag check, scan my MagicBand, and look around for the kids! They are way over there! We get onto Main Street USA and Tooti hears the Holly Jolly Trolley show! It is so cute and so fun! I have never seen them before! After they finish the show, we are off to get breakfast! We see the Victorian ladies, who are some of the Citizens of Main Street, and later we get to see the Fire Chief. I love all of the characters that are sprinkled throughout Main Street USA.

Our destination is Starbucks, inside of the Main Street Bakery! We grab some fruit, my Carmel Macchiato, and the kid’s green teas! This is a very busy place, but they are very fast and our order is in. It takes a few minutes until mine is ready, but it is so worth it! This Starbucks is always on point. YUM! Now, we are heading for my favorite place to sit at Tomorrowland Terrace. We have a blast having breakfast at Disney’s Magic Kingdom! I took a look around and there are a bunch of retired couples having breakfast here, too.

As we are sitting there, a cast member checks on us, “Yes, we are doing great!” He asked if we would like some trivia. Did he say trivia? Why yes, we love trivia! He asks if we have a map, and Twinkie pulls one out of her bag. He says, “Please forgive the dirt and fences,” and he points to our left. I said that I love construction, it means there are new things being built… the piles of dirt and “mess” are perfect for me! He chuckles, and shows us what they are building right across from us! There are huge additions for the hub, allowing for easier traffic flow, and additional standing areas for fireworks. I love construction and change!

We finish our breakfast. As we start to leave, the group has changed to younger families eating and enjoying a break in the shadow of Cinderella’s Castle.

The kids did some pin trading. Then, we got “I’m Celebrating” buttons! Today is day 60! I have been to Disney 60 days in a row! Oh, Happy Day! It is an absolutely beautiful day at Disney’s Magic Kingdom!