DAY 5 – MONDAY (3/8/10)
Today was Magic Kingdom Monday. This will be the first time I'm visiting there in 20 years, so we'll see what has changed in two decades. The place we are staying at is minutes away from Disney, which is nice for (a) coming or (b) going.
Entering Disney World is quite the operation. First we parked in the parking lot ("Dopey 104" – appropriate for this writer?). Then we took a tram to the entrance. Camille and I bought a 2-day pass (one day for MK, one day for Epcot). They charge quite the price for this, so I'd better be getting my share of magic out of it, dang it. After we purchased the tickets, we boarded the monorail (my Simpsons-plagued brain of course referenced the famous "Monorail" episode) and it took us to the actual entrance. So, to review, there is an entrance to the entrance to the entrance. Lewis Carroll would be quite pleased.
You have to give it to Disney; they know how to create the magic for the kids (whatever age) right off the bat. As we stood at the entrance (after the entrance and the entrance), the Disney characters were already on the train, waving to everyone as we stood at the gates in breathless anticipation. My 4-year-old niece, if she had a meter installed to show her excitement, is already at the point where the meter would crack and break.
9:00 arrives and we enter the park. First up is Main Street, U. S. A., a collection of old-timey town square attractions. My sister-in-law Carla, always on the lookout for "Disney on the Dime," takes my niece Cayla to the barber shop and she gets confetti (sorry… FAIRY DUST) sprinkled in her hair. Cost for this: free. Cost to look like an actual Disney Princess: starts at $250 (includes costume, hairdo, etc.). My niece's excitement level was about the same with the former, so you do the economic math.
On to Adventureland, where we ride The Magic Carpets of Aladdin. Not incredibly exciting to an adult, but my niece loved it. The Magic Kingdom is largely designed for slightly younger kids, so don't expect Cedar Point style thrills here. We take the Jungle Cruise and that's about it for this area. (I didn't walk through the Swiss Family Treehouse and we didn't attend The Enchanted Tiki Room because my brother-in-law Don hates the voice of Gilbert Gottfried, who plays the parrot Iago in said room. No Pirates of the Caribbean either, which is OK… I saw the movies and they're marginally more exciting than the ride.
Next up is Frontierland, which has a couple of exciting rides, starting with Splash Mountain, which is a log flume ride. As I'm wearing jeans (only going to be in the low 70's today; I know, poor, poor Michigander), I choose to abstain. I do ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which is thrilling enough for my wife Camille, but then again, the carousel is thrilling for her. (Just kidding, Camille.)
On to Liberty Square, where we take in the Haunted Mansion (still fun after all these years) and the Hall of Presidents. I love the slightly jingoistic nature of these events. I'm certainly as patriotic as the next guy, but with the amount of foreign tourists in the park, I was still bemused at how often our patriotic message was shoved down their throats whenever possible. J
Next is Fantasyland, which has rides and attractions related to many of Disney's famous cartoons. My niece was able to meet three of the Disney princesses: Belle (from "Beauty and the Beast"), Aurora ("Sleeping Beauty"), and Cinderella (from "Apocalypse Now"). I was riding other attractions while she was doing this; the park was extremely busy, so there was a huge line for any of these famous character meet-and-greets. According to my sister-in-law, two of the princesses were fine and dandy, but Belle apparently had a little attitude. But then again, if you were married to a big hairy guy, you'd probably have a little attitude as well.
Besides Mickey's Toontown Fair (REALLY designed for the younger set), there is Tomorrowland, where the main attraction is Space Mountain. SM is still a fun ride after all these years; according to my brother-in-law, there has been a major renovation to it recently. One thing I love about Disney's rides is that when you're in queue (and there were LONG queues today) they have things for you to do while you're waiting. Whether it's cartoons playing or interactive games, it lessens your pain.
That's pretty much the park in a nutshell. A lot of back and forth all day, and my feet were pretty sore at the end of it. At the end of the day, there was an electric parade and brother, you want to talk about a mass of humanity, there you go. After that was finished, we had to get back on the monorail, and that was an ordeal in its own. My usual allegory of walking into a theme park all happy sunshine and light and then coming out at the end of the day looking like you've been through a nuclear holocaust pretty much applied here as well.
A really fun day, though… nice to see the Magic Kingdom in all its glory after 20 years. The magic is still there, even for an adult. However, I am again glad that my sister-in-law came up with her "staggering" idea, that is, not doing two park days in a row, because after today, I really needed…
DAY 6 – TUESDAY (3/9/10)
A day of rest.
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