Events of Wednesday, January 12, 2011

                This morning’s events started after showers and breakfast with a short stroll to the campground’s pier. Instead of using the bus system, we took a boat across the Seven Seas Lagoon to the entrance of Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Since this Disneyland of the East has so much to offer, we decided to start with Tomorrowland. Is there something symbolic in our starting with the future? Heading up Main Street, we made a right into the future.

                As we wandered through this wondrous world, we couldn’t decide what to do. There were a lot of popular attractions—what to do first? Since the lines were short, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin topped our list. After a very short wait, we boarded our space vehicles and set out to destroy Captain Zurg. Each car had two laser weapons which, when fired at any target, racked up points for the player. After the first time through, we had started to understand the game and what we were aiming for, so we headed through for a second try. This time, each of us improved our scores. We could have gone through thousands of times, but there was more to see and do. Our next experience was Stitch’s Great Escape. This was a rather uninteresting ride but very interactive. At different times, you heard voices d sounds right next to you, smelled strong odors, felt bouncing on your shoulders, and got slapped in the back of the head.

                Space Mountain, Magic Kingdom’s most popular ride, also had short lines. We had expected to need FastPasses, but decided just to wait the ten minutes. It was a fast, dark, rocking, rolling, out of this world experience. Again, we wanted to repeat the thrill. Twice was enough for now, as the Indy Speedway called. This was a longer ride so, consequently, there was a bit of a line. Each of us got our own car for this driving experience. Although Abby caused multiple fender benders, it was a lot of fun actually driving a vehicle—even if it barely went 10 mph.

                Our next attraction was Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress. This ride, which made its debut in the 1964 world fair, has the audience rotating around a theater with a cast of “audio-animatronics”—essentially robotic manikins. The story was about a basic family between 1900 and 2000. Each section described the new technology of the day, ranging from an icebox to a phonograph to a radio to a TV to a programmable oven.  It showed just how far life has progressed and reminded us through an annoying song that “there's a great, big, beautiful tomorrow shining at the end of every day”.

                After a brief lunch, we took a spin on the PeopleMover, a slow tram that takes you on a tour of Tomorrowland. It was actually more fun than it appeared, as it goes through Space Mountain’s track, tours long and dark tunnels, and gives you all sorts of curious information about the attractions.  Hustling over to the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, we entered just in time for the next show. In this attraction, the audience enters Monstropolis to laugh, which powers their city. The more we laughed, the more energy they harvested. Like Turtle Talk with Crush in Epcot, this experience was incredibly interactive—as if the monsters on the screen could really see and hear us. As we were seated, a screen showed live shots of audience members with humorous captions. One poor guy was made fun of the entire show, but he was a good sport about it. After an introduction and instructions about etiquette in the monster world, the first act came up. Mac and Cheese, a Siamese monster, claimed to know about geography of the human world. Next came the pathetically “telepathetic” monster who “guessed” numbers. The final act was Mike Wazowski’s nephew who told some jokes that audience members had texted in before the show. Some of our favorites were:

What’s the difference between boogers and broccoli? … Kids don’t eat broccoli.

Why did Cinderella get kicked off the soccer team? … Her coach was a pumpkin.

All in all, it was a great show. Done with Tomorrowland, we headed towards Mickey’s Toontown Fair. This section was mostly for toddlers, but the girls enjoyed the one roller coaster. Fantasyland was next, the home of more child-oriented attractions. Our first ride was the Mad Tea Party, where we made the foolish mistake of squeezing five of us in one teacup. It was very crowded and painful before we even attempted turning the cup—that was another adventure! But it was hilarious and, in the end, we were all laughing. We decided to hit the three movie rides, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Snow White’s Scary Adventures, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh before experiencing the musical It’s a Small World. They have made one major change in this classic ride: now everyone sings the tune in their own language! It was interesting to hear, but the melody got old after three times. The final movie ride, Peter Pan’s Flight, had a 50 minute wait, so we used our tickets to get FastPasses for later.

                In the meantime, we headed for Mickey’s PhilharMagic, a well-done 3D show incorporating humor, music, and great animation. After the show, it was time to head over the stage in front of the castle, where we got great seats for the 4:15 Dream Along With Mickey show. The show seemed quite cheesy and pointless for us, who no longer dream to be pirates or princesses, but it would have thrilled any kid. I guess the 3-7 year old age group is Disney’s target audience.

                We redeemed our FastPasses for Peter Pan’s Flight before heading to the Haunted Mansion. This is one of the few rides in the Magic Kingdom not for kids ages 3-7. There was a chilling set up, creepy decorations, and an overall haunted feel. The Hall of Presidents was very well done. The show took us through the lives and terms of the major presidents from Washington to FDR. At the end, the curtains rose, and each president’s name was announced. The “Presidents” were all on stage together in their “audio-animatronic” form to commemorate the great progress our nation has made.

                Exiting the theater, we saw the riverboat pull up to the dock we hustled on for a scenic sunset excursion through the waters of Frontierland. The tour was narrated by Samuel Clemens during his years on the riverboat. As the sun set, we headed for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. After a short wait, we were able to enjoy the exhilarating ride in the dark. We all wanted to experience the thrill in the daylight, so it went on the list for tomorrow. Heading toward the exit of the park, Abby wanted to search for a Piglet sweatshirt. We ended up ambling through a huge shop that ran the entire length of Main Street, USA. It was a less crowded but more commercial route. We boarded the next boat headed home to enjoy our taco salad dinner.

                Nowadays, we need all the sleep we can get. Exhausting as it may be, we are making the most of every minute in this magical world. We were all asleep mentally before dinner, physically before even climbing in bed. But we are only in Disney World for one more day, so we’ll be getting up bright and early for another day of fun tomorrow!