Disney World Trip Report - Day 2
Backposted Once Again, and Slice N Diced for Extreme Length!
Day Two was my first Magic Kingdom Day. I was up with the sun, with the aide of my in-room alarm clock, and set off for the world with everything I brought the day before, plus a zipper-down hooded sweatshirt, because I learned my lesson freezing my buttox off at Illuminations. I hopped onto a Magic Kingdom Bus, arriving at 8am, to get a good spot in front of the "Mickey Floral" to watch the Show on the Railroad platform. I loved it to bits... I mean, I’d seen it on the YouTube before, but never in person and the experience of being able to see that from the front of the crowd, my first day in the Magic Kingdom in 8 years... it was like... WHOA.
So after that it was under the tracks and into the Magic Kingdom, grinning like an idiot and waving back at all the Mainstreet Merch people on the sidewalks with Mickey hands on waving… and trying to find the Chapeau. I got as far as the Uptown Jewelers, where I became pretty sure I’d missed it and stopped to ask a CM for directions. He sent me back thru the shops to the Chapeau, where I pounced on a pair of classic ears and had my name stitched in the back in gold thread, because the lady behind the register told me that was the original color, when I asked. I wore my ears out of the shop and back down the street where I was stopped by the very same CM who had sent me towards the shop, who wanted to admire my hat, and read my name before sending me on my way. That all meant a great deal to me, because I’d wanted ears the first two times I went to Disney as a kid, but my parents wouldn’t get me any on the grounds that they were "flimsy" and they didn’t want strangers reading my name off my hat.
When I got to the end of Mainstreet, I pulled over between the hat cart and the snack cart, to read my map... since I had no plan whatsoever. Another CM saw me there reading my map, and asked where I was trying to go... I explained that I didn’t really know. I was trying to decide, and he recommended I hit Fantasy Land and check out the Philharmagic, so I set off for Fantasyland via Liberty Square… I was momentarily detoured, when I decided to ride Snow White, which I never rode when I’d been there before. I liked it. I’m a sucker for a classic darkride.
Phillharmagic was pretty incredible. There was no line at that time of morning. I walked right into the staging room, which was nearly empty, and got great seats inside because there were so very few people that pretty much everyone could sit near the middle.
After that I hit Small world, and then Peter Pan. I probably looked like a total froob, but less of one than I would have looked like, if people hadn’t kept mistaking me for a 12 year old. (I’m sorry… I’m not a princess. I’m a mouskateer, check the ears.) I can’t stress enough how you folks had me grinning non stop. Yes... even on Small World I was grinning like a froob the whole time.
After that I headed back thru Liberty Square, hit the Country Bear Jamboree, and wandered past Splash Mountain around into Adventure Land, where I walked in on Captain Jack Sparrow having some kind of competition with another pirate to see who’s side of the crowd was better at singing pirate songs. Then of course... I went on Pirates of the Caribbean, which would have been more fun if the young man in front of me hadn’t turned around and flashed me in the face with his camera. From there I made a bee line to the Jungle Cruise. I’d never been ON the Jungle Cruise before... apparently my mom thought it was stupid and not worth the wait. The lines were still pretty short when I got on though. Our skipper was hilarious, but the person over there who really added a little magic, was a very enthusiastic unloader named Sarah who was dancing around on the deck as our boat pulled up. After that I made a quick jaunt over to the Tiki Room, and exited back to the hub, in time to catch the end of "Dreaming with Mickey." At about 12 noon, I headed back out of the park, stopping off at Town Hall for GSF Cards for Sarah, and the gentleman who helped me find the Chapeau, I don’t remember his name... I knew it then. I’ve forgotten it now, and it’s not on my list because I didn’t start writing them down till AFTER I realized that it would be better to do them all at once.
So then I went back to the hotel at that point, and picked up my Figment Plush, and Japaneese goodies from the Package Pickup at Everything Pop, and a bag of those Chip and Dale Pretzels, and some Caramel Corn. It was then that I noticed, on the lanyard of the CM checking me out, and the girl standing next to her, a pin I absolutely loved, and because of the time I've spent on SGT, I knew about pin trading. I swear, otherwise I would have mournfully admired it from afar, and been on my way, but because I’ve read about pin traders, I didn’t just admire it... I coveted it. As soon as I finished checking out, I went across the store to the pins, picked up a $6.95 Jiminy Cricket, and got back in line, and after paying for the pin, had my very first pin trade. I got what I would later find out was one pin in a series. The "Surprised" Figment, from the Figment Hidden Mickey Series (It’s not very hidden.) I felt kinda bad taking it from her, except that when I asked if I could trade her for her Figment pin, she didn’t know which one I was talking about. If she didn’t know the character name... she couldn’t have been that attached to it.
I took my packages, and my newly traded for pin back up to my room, with a quick stop off at the soda machine, and took a rest, watched some TV drank some soda, and ate some pretzels.
Then I hopped back on the bus and went back to the Magic Kingdom. I had lunch at the Liberty Tree Tavern, where my waitress Samira was very nice. She kept apologizing for the slow service, but I didn’t mind because I was watching the parade out the window. The braised beef was good... I don’t even like beef and I liked it. It was fall-apart-y just like she said it would be. Between dinner and desert, when the place was nearly empty because of the parade, we talked while she cleared the table next to mine. She was a really nice person to talk to who seemed to really enjoy her job and the little things she got to do to make magic for others, so she was the first person to get put on my little GSF list in my Smartphone.
After lunch I went over to Tomorrow Land, and rode Stitches’ Great Mistake. It was uncomfortable and awkward, and I didn’t like being pined down like that, and only re-enforced my belief that it was a good idea for me to have skipped Alien Encounter. Stitch was bad enough... if the alien was involved I think I’d have totally freaked. So after that I hit the Laugh Floor... and then rode the Carousel of Progress more times in a row than is probably healthy.
By that time it was dark, and I headed back across the hub, to get in line for the Haunted Mansion. I deliberately saved that for after nightfall, so I could get the full creepy effect. It stopped right while I was next to the whimpering dog in the graveyard. That’s kind of a disturbing place to stop... and the "the ride has stopped, please stay in your vehicles" message didn’t actually play until after we started moving again... not sure what was up with that... but I had on my ears and there was pretty much nothing to stop me grinning like an idiot.
So after that I stepped out, and headed back toward the hub, where I noticed crowd control measures were underway... I stopped to ask what was going on and was reminded about Spectromagic, the night lights parade which I’d forgotten... so I got a good seat for that, right in the hub, facing the castle, and called home while I waited. Spectromagic was awesome. My only regret was that my camera was too slow, so most of my pictures came out crap.
After that I stayed put mostly... moving a bit to the right to be nearer to "Cinderella’s Clothesline", and chatted to a family of regulars who were also waiting for the fireworks. One of their kids was so tired, he tried to lay down and sleep right there on the ground... and he had to be at least 7 (the younger children in the family were asleep in their strollers.)
Wishes was wondrous. I kept my camera in the pouch and just watched it, figuring any pictures I took would be as crap as the Spectromagic ones, so I may as well just enjoy it. It turned out I was almost right under the ‘Clothesline’ so I got a great view of Tink.
On the way out of the park, going towards the buses… I saw what I thought was an attraction... well it was an attraction, but it was in transit to someplace else. I thought it was just meant to drift by silently like that, and really enjoyed it... it was the Dolphins, Brachiosaurus, Crocodile, and King Triton, from the Electical Padgent, just.... floating by in the distance at a fairly brisque pace. By the time I got my camera out, the dolphins were nearly out of sight.
Then… back on the bus for Pop Century.
8^)
Day Two was my first Magic Kingdom Day. I was up with the sun, with the aide of my in-room alarm clock, and set off for the world with everything I brought the day before, plus a zipper-down hooded sweatshirt, because I learned my lesson freezing my buttox off at Illuminations. I hopped onto a Magic Kingdom Bus, arriving at 8am, to get a good spot in front of the "Mickey Floral" to watch the Show on the Railroad platform. I loved it to bits... I mean, I’d seen it on the YouTube before, but never in person and the experience of being able to see that from the front of the crowd, my first day in the Magic Kingdom in 8 years... it was like... WHOA.
So after that it was under the tracks and into the Magic Kingdom, grinning like an idiot and waving back at all the Mainstreet Merch people on the sidewalks with Mickey hands on waving… and trying to find the Chapeau. I got as far as the Uptown Jewelers, where I became pretty sure I’d missed it and stopped to ask a CM for directions. He sent me back thru the shops to the Chapeau, where I pounced on a pair of classic ears and had my name stitched in the back in gold thread, because the lady behind the register told me that was the original color, when I asked. I wore my ears out of the shop and back down the street where I was stopped by the very same CM who had sent me towards the shop, who wanted to admire my hat, and read my name before sending me on my way. That all meant a great deal to me, because I’d wanted ears the first two times I went to Disney as a kid, but my parents wouldn’t get me any on the grounds that they were "flimsy" and they didn’t want strangers reading my name off my hat.
When I got to the end of Mainstreet, I pulled over between the hat cart and the snack cart, to read my map... since I had no plan whatsoever. Another CM saw me there reading my map, and asked where I was trying to go... I explained that I didn’t really know. I was trying to decide, and he recommended I hit Fantasy Land and check out the Philharmagic, so I set off for Fantasyland via Liberty Square… I was momentarily detoured, when I decided to ride Snow White, which I never rode when I’d been there before. I liked it. I’m a sucker for a classic darkride.
Phillharmagic was pretty incredible. There was no line at that time of morning. I walked right into the staging room, which was nearly empty, and got great seats inside because there were so very few people that pretty much everyone could sit near the middle.
After that I hit Small world, and then Peter Pan. I probably looked like a total froob, but less of one than I would have looked like, if people hadn’t kept mistaking me for a 12 year old. (I’m sorry… I’m not a princess. I’m a mouskateer, check the ears.) I can’t stress enough how you folks had me grinning non stop. Yes... even on Small World I was grinning like a froob the whole time.
After that I headed back thru Liberty Square, hit the Country Bear Jamboree, and wandered past Splash Mountain around into Adventure Land, where I walked in on Captain Jack Sparrow having some kind of competition with another pirate to see who’s side of the crowd was better at singing pirate songs. Then of course... I went on Pirates of the Caribbean, which would have been more fun if the young man in front of me hadn’t turned around and flashed me in the face with his camera. From there I made a bee line to the Jungle Cruise. I’d never been ON the Jungle Cruise before... apparently my mom thought it was stupid and not worth the wait. The lines were still pretty short when I got on though. Our skipper was hilarious, but the person over there who really added a little magic, was a very enthusiastic unloader named Sarah who was dancing around on the deck as our boat pulled up. After that I made a quick jaunt over to the Tiki Room, and exited back to the hub, in time to catch the end of "Dreaming with Mickey." At about 12 noon, I headed back out of the park, stopping off at Town Hall for GSF Cards for Sarah, and the gentleman who helped me find the Chapeau, I don’t remember his name... I knew it then. I’ve forgotten it now, and it’s not on my list because I didn’t start writing them down till AFTER I realized that it would be better to do them all at once.
So then I went back to the hotel at that point, and picked up my Figment Plush, and Japaneese goodies from the Package Pickup at Everything Pop, and a bag of those Chip and Dale Pretzels, and some Caramel Corn. It was then that I noticed, on the lanyard of the CM checking me out, and the girl standing next to her, a pin I absolutely loved, and because of the time I've spent on SGT, I knew about pin trading. I swear, otherwise I would have mournfully admired it from afar, and been on my way, but because I’ve read about pin traders, I didn’t just admire it... I coveted it. As soon as I finished checking out, I went across the store to the pins, picked up a $6.95 Jiminy Cricket, and got back in line, and after paying for the pin, had my very first pin trade. I got what I would later find out was one pin in a series. The "Surprised" Figment, from the Figment Hidden Mickey Series (It’s not very hidden.) I felt kinda bad taking it from her, except that when I asked if I could trade her for her Figment pin, she didn’t know which one I was talking about. If she didn’t know the character name... she couldn’t have been that attached to it.
I took my packages, and my newly traded for pin back up to my room, with a quick stop off at the soda machine, and took a rest, watched some TV drank some soda, and ate some pretzels.
Then I hopped back on the bus and went back to the Magic Kingdom. I had lunch at the Liberty Tree Tavern, where my waitress Samira was very nice. She kept apologizing for the slow service, but I didn’t mind because I was watching the parade out the window. The braised beef was good... I don’t even like beef and I liked it. It was fall-apart-y just like she said it would be. Between dinner and desert, when the place was nearly empty because of the parade, we talked while she cleared the table next to mine. She was a really nice person to talk to who seemed to really enjoy her job and the little things she got to do to make magic for others, so she was the first person to get put on my little GSF list in my Smartphone.
After lunch I went over to Tomorrow Land, and rode Stitches’ Great Mistake. It was uncomfortable and awkward, and I didn’t like being pined down like that, and only re-enforced my belief that it was a good idea for me to have skipped Alien Encounter. Stitch was bad enough... if the alien was involved I think I’d have totally freaked. So after that I hit the Laugh Floor... and then rode the Carousel of Progress more times in a row than is probably healthy.
By that time it was dark, and I headed back across the hub, to get in line for the Haunted Mansion. I deliberately saved that for after nightfall, so I could get the full creepy effect. It stopped right while I was next to the whimpering dog in the graveyard. That’s kind of a disturbing place to stop... and the "the ride has stopped, please stay in your vehicles" message didn’t actually play until after we started moving again... not sure what was up with that... but I had on my ears and there was pretty much nothing to stop me grinning like an idiot.
So after that I stepped out, and headed back toward the hub, where I noticed crowd control measures were underway... I stopped to ask what was going on and was reminded about Spectromagic, the night lights parade which I’d forgotten... so I got a good seat for that, right in the hub, facing the castle, and called home while I waited. Spectromagic was awesome. My only regret was that my camera was too slow, so most of my pictures came out crap.
After that I stayed put mostly... moving a bit to the right to be nearer to "Cinderella’s Clothesline", and chatted to a family of regulars who were also waiting for the fireworks. One of their kids was so tired, he tried to lay down and sleep right there on the ground... and he had to be at least 7 (the younger children in the family were asleep in their strollers.)
Wishes was wondrous. I kept my camera in the pouch and just watched it, figuring any pictures I took would be as crap as the Spectromagic ones, so I may as well just enjoy it. It turned out I was almost right under the ‘Clothesline’ so I got a great view of Tink.
On the way out of the park, going towards the buses… I saw what I thought was an attraction... well it was an attraction, but it was in transit to someplace else. I thought it was just meant to drift by silently like that, and really enjoyed it... it was the Dolphins, Brachiosaurus, Crocodile, and King Triton, from the Electical Padgent, just.... floating by in the distance at a fairly brisque pace. By the time I got my camera out, the dolphins were nearly out of sight.
Then… back on the bus for Pop Century.
8^)