Walt Disney World/Magic Kingdom

I hope you are sitting comfortable with a drink in hand because Disney is my happy place and this blog could be long. I will endeavour to make it interesting and hope to inspire, not bore you. As per the Universal Parks, I will talk about our experiences at Disney rolling every park day into just 4 separate blogs, one per park. We spent 14 days at Disney, staying on site at the Caribbean, and only left once to visit a non park, Disney Springs.

We love Disney, we love its pure blissful simplicity, the way it morphs you back into childhood fantasy and the ability to just be a kid again, leaving your cares and worries behind you as you board a flying elephant, meander through the mine of the seven dwarves, laugh at the terrible jokes on the Jungle Cruise. We pander so much to the whims of spoilt children of the modern day, that it is pure joy that we too can ride as adults the attractions of films that made us so happy as we grew up. I am not going to bore you with cost, the crowds, the busy times. If you are going to, or have been to Disney, you know all that. It is expensive. Period. It`s popular, so it`s busy, deal with it. I can tell you when to go to experience less crowds, but with the crazy amount of know it all`s online all wanting to brag about How to do Disney, just take a peep there.

My only suggestion to anyone is this. Stop Overthinking It. Learn your lightening lanes. Learn how to navigate the App, (annoyingly useful) don the most comfortable shoes you own, even if they are falling apart, comfy? Wear them! All the ridiculous must haves that people post online will just make you miserable. If it doesn`t fit into a bum bag/fanny pack, you don`t need it. Naturally I am only referring to adults. Shout, rant, get cross, I frankly don`t care, but I go to Disney as an adult, and do all I can to avoid being there when surplus kids are in attendance. Perish the thought of visiting during school holidays.

This would be our 9th time going to WDW, so not exactly yearly Disney travellers, as we do like to let things change a little in the years we choose not to go, never mind the fact that we harbour a desire to see much more of the world (see rest of blogs lol) but this will be Disney Park number 5/7 in our attempt to Global Disney in one year.

Our chosen accommodation. It was quite by chance that Caribbean Beach came onto our radar. A room is just a room, that has always been our mantra for Disney, if you do not plan to spend time in the resort, why pay for an expensive resort? a bed is a bed. Book the cheapest hotel (personally that is All Star Movies for us) and use the provided transport to ferry you to and from your chosen park of the day. Alas, one year we left it too late, found A.S.M fully booked and Caribbean the next cheapest. Ho hum, not exactly cheap, but with flights booked and tickets purchased, we had no choice but to commit. What a great accidental find! With the utterly superb skyline just a few minutes from your door, suddenly the ability to access Epcot in one direction, or Hollywood Studios in the other with the least amount of fuss or wait time made a huge huge difference to our days. I make no secret of the fact that I have very little patience for adults who feel everyone should listen to their conversation or whingy whiny kids moaning about why they have to go to Magic Kingdom again and not stay by the pool instead, so the chance to avoid long bus journeys of yakking adults and over excited kids and just board a quiet little gondola on my own with Mr and Little B by my side made for such peaceful, pleasant ways to start each day. Even when you do need to board the bus to Animal Kingdom or Magic Kingdom, somehow those buses are less busy and make for a pleasant journey. (time of year applicable I presume) The downside of the Caribbean Beach, depending of course where exactly on site your room is, could be the long walk to the dining options. Getting the resort mug and acquiring a hot drink is one thing, but if the walk is long then the drinks tend to be a little too cool by the time you return to the room to drink. (apologies for such a tiny grrr)

Magic Kingdom

No matter where you stay or when, starting with the Magic Kingdom is my must do. From the moment that bus arrives with its destination `Magic Kingdom` written in lights, my excitement builds. You pull up to the bus stop at the MK, pile off, and there it is, the grass fronted garden, with Mickey Mouse head in flowers, sitting slightly higher than ground level, sneakily hiding the joys within. The station entrance with the large clock tower and the lettering in gold, Magic Kingdom. The train that used to bring the Disney Characters and herald the start of a new Disney day is no more, I am secretly hoping that it may be due to ongoing building work, I do not know, and harbouring a hope that it returns once again. No more do they dance and welcome you to the Magic Kingdom either, cant say that I miss the family of the day gimmick, but I do miss the Fire Chief proclaiming `Welcome to the most magical place on Earth` Instead the little preshow has been changed to a very efficient entry system instead with electric bag scanning (gone are the days of security staff with pokey sticks) and a swifter entry to one of the best places on earth. Choose to enter left or right, it doesn`t matter, I feel my grin grow as I emerge through the tunnel into Town Square. I cannot tell you just how much younger I feel the second I stand in Town Square, its as though the real world no longer exists, my problems disappear, and the child in me shines bright. Safe to say I probably know every inch and shortcut in the entire park, but not for one moment do I ever stop looking. Everywhere you look is a nod to Walt Disney, a theme, a smell, a taste, a picture, it may be the same, look the same, but it never is the same. Each visit is different, today we chose to board the little bus that ferries just a few people at a time up Main Street to the Castle. We have seen this bus in previous years, but until today had never ridden it. From our slightly elevated position on the top deck of the bus, we were able to appreciate the upper floor window quirks and references of the Main Street shops. We saw the Dapper Dans, singing group, passed the many photographers capturing that photo of `us in front of the castle` that people treasure for years, remembering the smell of the popcorn wafting around them as they posed, holding out their hand whilst not knowing why, then receiving said photo to find Tinkerbell stood on their hands. Trust the magic. Whilst I can talk about each ride in turn, instead I will tell you about our journey around the park (multiple visits rolled into one). We usually choose to bear left into Adventureland start our day with Robinson Crusoe. Afraid we cannot bear the idiocy of the parrots in the Tiki Tiki room, oh dear Lor, are they utterly boring and silly or what! We keep trying and hoping that the show has improved, but nope, same old bad. It may be original, but desperately requires an update or better still replaced with something so much better? I may love every inch of Disney, but even my love of everything Disney cannot include these silly birds. Passing the flying carpets of Agrabah, the sole purpose whilst trying to enjoy this great silly ride is to position your carpet right in the line of sight of the camel that `spits`. One nil to Mr B here.

Jungle Cruise, best biscuits can be found on the ride, Ginger Snaps and don`t miss the Backside of Water IYKYK. Pirate time next with the Pirates of the Caribbean, we met Captain Jack Sparrow in person as he emerged from his cabin, drunk as always, I snapped the best photo as I placed myself a little too close causing him to `whoa` in character as he avoided my person as he swayed characteristically on his way to the saloon. The ride itself is great fun, not a patch on the supremely amazing ride at Shanghai, but for an original, still a lot of fun. Onwards and upwards to the new Tiana`s Bayou Ride, the former Splash Mountain. Incredibly silly and sad why they had to reimagine this once great ride, but I have to admit the rethink is superb. Pure Disney magic and sublime attention to detail, the little things make the ride special. Shame about the original, but super replacement. I wish I could tell you about our ride on Big Thunder, but this is still closed for what must be a massive refurbishment given that it has been closed now for many many months. Also closed is Tom Sawyer Island, the riverboat, and gone is the water. That huge expanse of water, completely drained! You stand and look at this massive area and think, how the heck did they do that! Pity with all the land that Disney owns they couldn`t keep the lovely Liberty Bell, but I believe this whole area is to be transformed into Cars Land. If it is themed as well as the new Tiana`s/Splash Mountain, I don`t think anyone will be disappointed for too long.

Another recent refurbishment, The Country Bears. Nobody can deny this had really run its course, with songs so old and corny they were almost cringy. This was the attraction you would visit to rest a while, or even nap. Now? We actually loved it. It was modern, funny, appropriately up to date, and very enjoyable. Hall of Presidents. Way too meh for us, sneaky little hushed boo to the orange coloured one, but still a good place for a few daytime zzzzs. Haunted Mansion, oldie but goodie. We three bunnies squeeze ourselves into one doom buggy and this in itself provides with us with a huge amount of hilarity. Personally I feel this ride lends itself for some new state of the art and modern updates. Nothing overly scary, after all mustn`t upset little people, ( yes, yes you can ! lol) but something could be done to improve and bring this dated attraction to life.

Fantasyland, the busiest area of the Magic Kingdom and not without good reason. With some of the best rides in the Magic Kingdom this area naturally attracts the attention of young families with small children (who brings kids to Disney? typed with tongue in cheek humour and a smile :-) Philharmagic, quite probably one of the best 3D cinematic films ever, so so good, love the addition of the Coco scene. fly to NeverLand with Peter Pan, I`m sure Nana used to hover above her kennel? Board a boat and travel the world on `its a small world` after all, its a small world after all, bet your singing now, . Dumbo, a ride so popular that Disney dug out their original mould and made a second set of flying Nellies. A timed entry for tots and a play area to while away the time, if needed, this is a huge favourite of ours. Incidentally, did you know that Dumbo is the only ride to appear at every Disney Park? (and the fact that Dumbo is the only Disney character that doesn`t speak?) Snow White, and the ride that causes more kids to cry than any other? something about the Old Witch that freaks them out. Winnie the Pooh and the honey pots, followed by a ride on the Mine Train. We rode them all. Teapots whether you spin fast or slow its just easy and fun, Goofys Barnstormer, why not? short, sweet, purely for kids and ridden by just as many adults being kids. Next stop Autopia, cars that possess no sense of direction, that you swear you can manhandle into behaving, then realise you cannot, and its a crazy bit of driving fun especially if Mr B drives off first and you try like heck to catch him, no bumping allowed if you do, but its still fun to try. We managed to miss visiting Aerial this time, not quite sure how, we seemed to walk by and never swerve to ride. I will assume it is because we are aiming with purpose to ride the very brilliant, super quick, Tron Motorcycle. A few years old now, but the newest of all the Magic Kingdom rides. (brand new, not refit) This bunny here used to ride a motorbike many moons ago and this is the closest feeling I will ever get to feeling the thrill of a bike one more. Tron will be frequented often. Longest wait times, quickest ride time. Odd to think how so many people happily wait for up to 90mins to experience a ride that lasts around a minute or less. That`s Disney. We have recently downloaded a game app that we have seen a number of younger people playing in the queues, and its a gamechanger. Called HeadsUp, it is a game of mobile charades and provided us with endless fun and laughter as we queued for any ride over 45 minutes. You try acting `sitting on a toilet` in a public queue when folks around you don`t realise you are acting out a charade, just too funny. Possibly the only attractions in Magic Kingdom that we actively avoid are The Laugh Floor, we really do not like the idea of being singled out to act out an action and said action portrayed for all to see on screen, all the bunnies are made most uncomfortable by this. We also avoid Space Mountain. Once the best rollercoaster in the park, I really do feel this was completely ruined by the makeover a few years ago that spoilt this once great ride making it now something bone shaking, neck rattling, back pain inducing, headache guaranteed and just a non starter. I know it was so much easier on the body as my mum rode it on our first visit! if my mum rode it now, god bless her, she would have met her maker a heck of a lot quicker. Why on earth did they have to make it so much faster and in total darkness? Are we really the only people who think its now a ride not worth the pain? Even little B avoids this now saying she cannot cope with the spine jarring turns.

In the area of Space Mountain you will also find Walt Disney`s very own creation, his Carousel of Progress. One viewing per scene is always enough, and probably no more than two visits in a holiday, but still a great show and I would think especially good for multi generational families, those visiting with grandkids, apologies, I do forget people can be grannies in their 40s now, but I`m referring to people in their 70s, bringing their families with youngsters I bet this would be a fun recollection from the oldest to youngest. Buzz Lightyear Ranger Spin was also closed for a refurb this visit, another ride to look forward to when it re opens.

There are so many more rides, attractions, scenes, shows, parades, fireworks, food, characters, I could go on forever about the joys of the Magic Kingdom but for fear of boring you I shall leave it here, and say, just once. Go. Experience the Magic.