We went to the Magic Kingdom today because it’s an unwritten law that you must visit the Magic Kingdom before any of the other parks. It finally feels like a true vacation now that we’ve been to one of the parks too, but we are sooo tired from all the walking. My feet and legs are sore! Joe is actually napping on the couch as I type this.
I’m glad we got there before they opened too because I had forgotten that after parking you have to take a tram to the transportation center and from there take the Monorail to the park entrance. By the time we got to the Magic Kingdom it was 9 am.
The weather was quite chilly in the morning so we had jeans and sweatshirts on. I couldn’t believe the people in shorts and tank tops. They must have been nuts or didn’t prepare for the possibility of cooler weather! It was a bit windy too which added to the chill, but once the sun came out it was quite comfortable.
The first attraction we visited was Mickey’s PhilharMagic in Fantasyland. Joe had been talking about it and being newer, I had never seen it. Let me just saw, wow! It’s a 3-D movie but with special effects. I won’t say more as not to ruin it for anyone who wants to go. Not knowing about some things made the attractions more fun.
After the show we hit all the rides I remember as a kid (It’s a Small World, Peter Pan’s Flight, The Haunted Mansion, and Pirates of the Caribbean). There was no more than a five minute wait for each which was awesome. We also went on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad which I had never been on before and I loved it. We tried to go on it again later in the day but didn’t want to wait the 40 minutes in the standby line or the hour and a half for the next FastPass.
We spent the most time in Tomorrowland. I was nervous about going on Space Mountain … I never went on it the other times I’ve visited because I’m not a huge fan of rollercoasters, but I had heard how cool it was and had to check it out. Turns out it is now my favorite ride in the whole park. In fact, that’s the only ride we got a FastPass for all day so we didn’t have to stand in line the second time we went on. I didn’t see any signs posted, but it seemed like if you chose the right-side line the ride was more intense than the left. It’s definitely not the same because while the right seemed more intense, it also seemed shorter because it had steeper drops. Maybe it was all in my head, but Joe seemed to notice the difference too.
We ate lunch in Tomorrowland at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe because the cheeseburgers smelled so good and I had read it was a nice place to eat in the park. We sat outside which was nice and had a great view of the side of Cinderella’s Castle.
After lunch we went on some more rides in Tomorrowland and visited Mickey in Toonland. Then we went walking around some more to see what rides we might have missed in the other areas. By then it was a lot more crowded so we ended up getting Mickey Mouse ice cream bars and just walking around but not going on anymore rides except Snow White’s Scary Adventure which was super lame. We headed back toward Main Street around 3pm. Since everyone was lining up for the parade, we took advantage of how empty the souvenier shops were and did some shopping before leaving.
We’re probably going to grab some dinner in a bit and then watch game 3 of the World Series. I’ve been hearing that the Astros play better on home turf, so this game should be interesting. I bet the Sox still wins though. They are on fire!
Tomorrow’s agenda – Epcot. I am really looking forward to it because I have always loved Epcot and I want to taste a bunch of different things at the Food and Wine Festival.
So glad you got up the courage to go on Space Mountain! That’s one of my favorite rides too (although I have to say the Disneyland version is so much better than the WDW one – hopefully you’ll make it to CA someday for that). Regarding the intensity difference, did you happen to ride in the back of the train on one of your rides, and closer to the front on the other? If you sit in the back, the drops are steeper (because the train doesn’t “let go” down the hill till the back of the train is at the top of the hill – so if you are in the front you are already halfway down before it lets go. That’s true for just about any roller coaster. You also get whipped around the turns more while sitting in the back. I usually ask for the back of the train on Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain and some other roller coasters out there.
If you go to MGM Studios, I have to strongly recommend Tower of Terror. I was too afraid to go on that when I was in WDW, but they built it in California last year and that is one of my new favorite rides. I’d always been terrified of drop rides in the past, but I’m so glad I got over my fear for this one.
Actually we ended up in the exact same seats on both rides for Space Mountain: Joe was in the first car and I was in the second. We laughed about it because I don’t like being in front, particularly the first seat because it seems scarier, so of course both times they told us to stand at 1 & 2. So I kept making Joe get in the first seat. :)
Not sure if we’re going to MGM, but if we do, I’m not too sure about Tower of Terror. Do they drop you all floors at a time or is a few floors down, then up, then down? I really don’t like that sensation and avoid any of the drop rides.
I don’t know if the WDW version is different, but in Disneyland they drop you several times… not just one big drop. Some of the drops are longer than others. The ride is just too fun to miss. Like I said, I hated drop rides too, but I was curious enough about the “story” of the ride to give it a try and I’m so glad I did.
The Haunted Mansion is my favorite, followed VERY closely by Space Mountain. I’m glad you guys didn’t have to wait in line long, that makes it so much more fun! Last time I was at Disney World was about 4 years ago in January and it was absolutely perfect – cool weather and no lines! Enjoy Epcot!
Kristi – I checked the Passporter to Disney World book we had bought and it does mention in there that the rides on Space Mountain do differ depending on which line you choose, so I wasn’t imagining it. :)
Jenni – I love Haunted Mansion too!