Florida Day Four: Disney Magic Kingdom

Wednesday, 9 September, we had breakfast and made sandwiches at the hotel before heading out to Disney's Magic Kingdom. The approach to the park is unusual because from the parking area one rides the monorail or takes a ferry across The Seven Seas Lagoon. That makes a delightful, even if complicated, way to arrive at the park. The hot ticket right now is the Seven Dwarfs' Mine Train in the newly expanded Fantasy Land, so that was where we headed first without a Fast Pass. Those were all gone months ago when I tried to get them online. The line was fairly long, but they have perfected the art of entertaining waiting crowds, and they handle the heat extremely well with shade and fans. A hot and humid day unfolded as we moved from land to land.

 The approach across the lake is beautiful

 Ready to march

 Vic affects an awe-struck pose as she looks at the castle: something

she has dreamed of for years

 The Castle steps are being turned into a stage, so the clean

view is from the sides

 The very popular Mine Train

 This is an incredibly effective low-tech solution 

to the staggering heat

 The new Fantasyland: The Beast's Castle houses a restaurant

 Eric's Castle houses the Little Mermaid ride

 King Triton in that ride

 Rapunzel's Tower

 It's a small world after all

Splash Mountain

 I caught some water in the front seat

 

These guys thought it was fun

 Headed to catch the train round the park

 Big Thunder Mountain 

 I had never seen the Bear Country Jamboree: very entertaining

 In Adventureland...

 Headed to the Jungle Cruise

 We had a great guide who tipped us off to free ice water in the park

 The Tiki Room was another fun first for me

Liberty Square is unique to Disney World

 Vic sorted out the cups of ice water for our extreme hydration needs

 The Haunted Mansion

 Another good dinner at the Plaza Restaurant

 A very lively parade and subsequent dance party at the castle

The crew before Cinderella's Castle

 Tomorrowland feels much less tired than the one in CA

 Tomorrowland Speedway seen from the Peoplemover

 Carousel of Progress was also an entertaining surprise

 The central plaza was recently rebuilt to handle larger crowds

and the mature trees are missed

 The softer light of evening

 Headed toward the gates and home

 City Hall

Railroad station at dusk

We enjoyed this very warm day and are now looking forward to one last day at Disney World. That's all for now.

OXO

D.

Florida Day Three: Disney Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios

On Tuesday, 8 September, we headed south across Orlando to Walt Disney World and Animal Kingdom. What a great park Animal Kingdom turned out to be. Disney theming is great, but it is "off da hook" here. After lunch we caught a shuttle to Hollywood Studios, which also turned out to be loads of fun. Crowds are good. No waiting in lines. Most of the "guests" are from Brazil -- seriously.

 A very good experience here

 This enormous Tree of Life is the symbol and focal point of the park

Everest dominates the Asia portion of the park

They keep you entertained while you move through the line

 This train is ready to depart

 Such a creative design

 And such a fun ride: Rod and I did it twice

 Kali River Rapids: "you will get wet, you may get soaked"

 The Lion King show was lively and fun

 The crew

 The Kilimanjaro Safari is super: all the animals were out and 

awake, and here again the theming is wonderful

 Animals up close and personal

 Wonderful design

 Rod and Vic aboard the Wildlife Express Train

 Disney does it right

 We were very fun today

 Hollywood Studios' entry looks familiar

 Wild and crazy guys

 Beauty and the Beast  -- Live on Stage in a 

Hollywood Bowl-like setting

 Kris pointing out the features of the Tower of Terror ride

 Pretending it was terrifying, when it was actually a laugh

 Best Disney meal I've ever had: 50s Primetime Cafe (the 

theming was so much fun for us children of the 50s)

 Mother Nature put on a show for us as we headed toward the exit

Good night Disney World

We dodged the rain and the heat and humidity were okay. We are safely tucked away in our hotel for the night, but are ready and excited for tomorrow's adventures. That's all for now.

OXO

D.