Showing posts with label Magic Kingdom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Magic Kingdom. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom - Main Street Trolley Tracks Trick

Date of Visit: 2018/2019

Back in November 2018, we noticed for the first time that there are parts of the trolley track that have rubber in them to make them easier to cross over. They mostly line up with the cutouts on the sidewalks of Main Street. Not sure if they've always been there or not, but they sure make it easier to ensure the casters don't get stuck, so we now will go out of our way to use them.



On our May 2019 trip, we didn't find them at first. We later figured out that the rubbers are removed for the trolley show and they aren't necessarily put back between shows. It seemed the shows were mostly in the morning and then the rubbers were in the tracks in the afternoon.

Destination Info:
Magic Kingdom - Main Street Trolley
Lake Buena Vista, FL

Monday, February 13, 2017

Be Our Guest Restaurant at Magic Kingdom


Date of Visit: February 5, 2017

For years we've been wanting to try the dinner at Be Our Guest, but never seem to be able to plan out our dining soon enough to manage a reservation (we did the quick service lunch back before they did reservations for that). This time I only managed a reservation because I couldn't get one when planning our November trip and booking for February had just opened. I am glad we ended up finally doing it this trip as while it would've been enjoyable on our own, it turned out to be a great dining experience for our family trip.


There are three different rooms you can end up being seated in. We were in the main dining room and really enjoyed the atmosphere, although either of the other wings seem just as good and it would be interesting to end up in a different one if we go again.


We all enjoyed the appetizers and entrees we ordered and found the portions to be good. Mik had the potato leek soup and the pork chop. I had the sauteed shrimp and scallops.


For dessert, since no one else ordered it, I just had to try the grey stuff. Sadly, it was not delicious, but only because I don't like frosting. The tart it was on top of was good, though. Mik ordered the Elcair a l'Orange and that was very delicious.


Before leaving, we visited the Beast for a group photo minus Mik who didn't want to do it.

Overall we really enjoyed Be Our Guest. We liked that it had a good themed atmosphere and that while there was a character opportunity, it was very easy to skip if you wanted because it was separate rather than being something they send you through before seating you or having the character(s) come around. Not sure if we would go for dinner next time, but only because the breakfast menu looks interesting.

Destination Info:
Be Our Guest Restaurant
Magic Kingdom
Lake Buena Vista, FL

Friday, November 25, 2016

Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom - Country Bear Jamboree


Date of Visit: November 21, 2016

Finally got Mik to see the Country Bear Jamboree this trip. He enjoyed the show for the most part, but didn't like the wheelchair seating only being up front, especially afterwards when he realized it resulted in him missing one entire segment.


To enter the show there are turnstiles. We were confused what to do because unlike most attractions with turnstiles there is not an area right there with a rope and a wheelchair symbol to know where to go. After a few minutes a cast member showed us over to another door around to the left that leads you inside to wait in a separate part of the lobby for the doors to open.


The only option for wheelchairs is to sit in the front row. Since usually you end up in the back, it is kind of a nice change from most shows. However, for this show in particular it means enjoying some of the best parts is hard to impossible to do.


One part I wasn't sure Mik would be able to enjoy was the animal heads on the wall to the right. Once I pointed them out to Mik, he did glance at them, but you don't really get the same experience when you have to remember to look back up at them as when you sit up on the higher rows.


Overall Mik enjoyed the show, but when talking to him later I asked what he thought of the view of the part when the bear is singing from a swing and he didn't know what I was talking about. Turns out he was totally confused by that part of the show because he thought it was just singing with no bear to be seen because he didn't know he had to look up to see it. Not that he really missed anything because from the front all you can do is look up at her butt.


Destination Info:
Country Bear Jamboree
Magic Kingdom
Lake Buena Vista, FL

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom - The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Date of Visit: September 20, 2016

While Mik will usually do an accessible ride once per trip even if he isn't a fan of it, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is one I haven't been able to get him to do for years. The only reason I even got him to do it this time was it was raining and it was a way to stay out of the rain and waste the last hour until Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party began.


After riding it again, Mik is definitely against riding it again unless perhaps it's raining and I agree because if I'm going to have to ride alone I might as well just ride it when I go to the park to do the rides he can't do. It's not so much that he ends up riding alone that bothered him, but that the hunny pot is huge and yet designed in such a way that his wheelchair didn't fit (or at least they didn't give us enough time to try to get it all the way to the side) and have the seat come down for somebody to ride with him.

Destination Information:
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Magic Kingdom
Lake Buena Vista, FL

Friday, September 23, 2016

Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom - Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party 2016


 Date of Visit: September 20, 2016

After not enjoying Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party two years ago, we kept going back and forth on doing it this trip. Finally, we decided to just do it because Mik really got into the treat trails when we did Disneyland last year and if it was bad again at least we'd get this year's Halloween card for my Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom collection.


Since we went into it with low expectations, it actually wasn't as bad as we remembered. In particular, the treat lines didn't seem that bad and we even learned afterwards that it was more crowded than normal because Sunday had been rained out and people were given tickets to come back on our party day. For one, the treat lines were queued up better making it easier to find the end to them then we remember from last time. Also, we found the lines all seemed to move quite smoothly and weren't anywhere near as long as some of the ones we did last year at Disneyland. We even ended up doing them all before 9:30pm.


The line that took us the longest was actually the rather short, but very slow moving line at Friar's Nook to buy a Ghoulish Strawberry Lemonade Slushy. It was a good treat and worth it, though.


Overall we did enjoy the Halloween party, but again not sure we would do it again at Magic Kingdom. The biggest disappointment was they don't have the healthy treat options like they have at Disneyland. Also, they don't do a pre-party thing, although it was raining until right before the party started, so that might not have been enjoyable anyways. Finally, we were disappointed that the guide map lists Werther's, but none of the treat spots were giving them out.

Destination Info:
Magic Kingdom
Lake Buena Vista, FL

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom - Meet Cinderella and Rapunzel at Princess Fairytale Hall


 Date of Visit: January 5, 2016

Mik may have once been into meeting characters when he was little, but I don't think he ever liked the princesses. Thus, this was not exactly his thing to do, but he was a good sport and went along since we had a Fastpass+ to do the Meet Cinderella and Rapunzel at Princess Fairytale Hall.


The setting for this character meet was the least interesting to Mik overall, but just because he isn't really into the Disney castle stuff. He did appreciate that we discovered a storybook page featuring Snow White in the room where the princesses were. However, it would've been better if it was in English; and it is kind of odd with it not being Snow White's castle or even a meet and greet featuring Snow White.


While overall I really dislike the whole Fastpass+ thing and having to really plan out what you want a month in advance versus the old day of Fastpass system, but we definitely wouldn't have done the characters if we hadn't ended up not wanting our Epcot choices and deciding the day before to switch to Magic Kingdom with only the character meets and 'it's a small world' being our options.

Destination Info:
Magic Kingdom -Meet Cinderella and Rapunzel at Princess Fairytale Hall
Lake Buena Vista, FL

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom - Meet Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theater


Date of Visit: January 5, 2015

Meet Mickey Mouse in the Magic Kingdom was one of the Fastpass+ selections I made since it seemed a requirement that Nora meet Mickey on her first Disney trip and if she ended up not being into characters at least we didn't spend too long in line to find that out. Turns out that this Mickey talks and it was the rest of us that were more freaked out by the experience than Nora.


Mik again wasn't into "meeting" the character, but he particularly enjoyed the props in the room Mickey was in as it is set up as if you are backstage meeting Magician Mickey and they had his trunk open with his suit and other things for his performance.


Destination Info:
Magic Kingdom - Meet Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theater
Lake Buena Vista, FL

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom - Meet Tinker Bell at Town Square Theater


Date of Visit: January 5, 2015

Mik has not been into characters for a long time, so we've haven't done any character meets at Disney World since our first trip in 2001. This trip we ended up doing several including some using our Fastpass+ selections since it was Nora's first Disney trip and she ended up loving the characters. Tinker Bell was the first character we did because the wait time was under 20 minutes and she's one of Kirsten's favorites.


While waiting in line for Tinker Bell, it was amusing to watch the different dialogue on one of the Mickey posters.


Also, before you go into the room with Tinker Bell you go into a room that lights up like it's getting sprinkled with pixie dust.


Mik still doesn't like doing character meets, but he did enjoy the experience. He liked the different decoration elements in the rooms you meet the characters. Thus, it worked out well that we could check them out and skip the character by just waiting behind the photographer while they met Tinker Bell.

By the way, having PhotoPass included with our Annual Passes and being able to also download the photos others on our reservation add using their MagicBands is the best thing about how they changed up Annual Passes this year.

Destination Info:
Magic Kingdom - Meet Tinker Bell at Town Square Theater
Lake Buena Vista, FL

Friday, January 8, 2016

Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom - 'it's a small world'


Date of Visit: January 5, 2015

Mik usually won't go on 'it's a small world' at the Magic Kingdom because of a bad experience with the style of accessible boat here the first time. This trip he was willing to give it another try because we were with a larger group, had a Fastpass+, and mostly because it seems to be Nora's favorite ride.

 
Whether you have a Fastpass or not, you are sent through the wheelchair entrance, which is at the ride exit to the right of the entrance. With a Fastpass, we were able to go to the wheelchair entrance immediately and I assume they give you a return time like we got at Star Tours if you don't have a Fastpass. The one major problem with the wheelchair entrance is that it is on a ramp and you have to wait there for the boat to come around (or even longer if there's other groups there). When we got off they had many groups waiting on the ramp, which just doesn't make sense except they don't have enough room to have them wait up top and only send down groups one or so at a time like I remember them doing at Disneyland. Mik particularly disliked the set up of a rope at the end of the ramp where you had to wait because I rolled him partly under the rope in order to leave him on the flat area.

The style of boat with you rolling in back and then down the aisle in the middle is much more efficient than the lift style at Disneyland. However, it means that the rest of the group has to sit in single seats on either side of the aisle. It does mean Mik gets to be more with the rest of the group than by himself in the back, but we'd prefer that others in the group could still sit together.



The reason Mik hated the ride and wouldn't go on it again until now is because the chair tilted and the casters came up a few inches at the start and end the last time we did this ride (the similar boat ride in Mexico was even worse). This time they ended up putting him between the second row instead of all the way forward and he did not have that problem, so not sure if it is the location of the chair in the boat or it really is smoother now.

Overall Mik was glad he gave it another try even if he did end up saying "it's the worst ride after all" because the ride ended up going down and we were stuck almost at the end for about 10 to 15 minutes. Also, 'it's a small world' was down our last Disneyland trip, so we hadn't been on it in awhile at any park. We also found it interesting that the Magic Kingdom one is so different seeming because they haven't added Disney characters like they've done at Disneyland.

Destination Info:
Magic Kingdom - 'it's a small world'
Lake Buena Vista, FL

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom - Sleepy Hollow


Date of Visit: September 26 & 27, 2014

Mik now has a new favorite place at the Magic Kingdom. He loves waffles, so I have no idea why we have always skipped past Sleepy Hollow before; but now that he has discovered it I am sure this will be a regular stop on our Disney World trips.


The first morning he tried the breakfast waffle with eggs, cheese, tomatoes, and prosciutto. He did not really like the prosciutto part; but he loved the rest and it’s easy to take off.

During the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, Mik enjoyed the pumpkin spice waffle sundae.

Destination Info:
Magic Kingdom – Liberty Square
Lake Buena Vista, FL

Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom - Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party


Date of Visit: September 27, 2014

For us the Halloween Party was somewhat of a disappointment. It just seemed more crowded and hard to get between things compared to when we did the one in Disneyland. Of course, comparing anything at Disney World to Disneyland always ends with Disneyland winning in our opinion (we even once got into a debate with a cast member when checking in at Disney World that we were not at the Happiest Place on Earth like they said because that’s Disneyland).


We did go to three trick-or-treat locations and accessibility wise they are fine, but other than the one at the Tomorrowland Terrace they were hard to find the end of the lines for because of general crowd for the parade or going to other attractions depending on the location.


Mik thought it was all worth it for the Spiced Pumpkin Waffle Sundae at Sleepy Hollow, though, and I am happy to have picked up the Sorcerer of the Magic Kingdom card for my collection. However, because we were frustrated just by the crowds and trick-or-treating, we didn’t even end up staying for the parade. That is the one thing I would have liked to see, but I also didn’t want to sit and get a spot for at the beginning of the party like we did last year for the Christmas party because Mik would have ended up asleep before it started like he did that time.



Overall we are glad we tried it out, but yeah Disneyland is better. I guess the biggest thing that makes Disneyland better is that the trick-or-treating is not as spread out because the whole park is more compact. However, I think there being no giant Mickey pumpkin on Main Street was the biggest disappointment, as we wanted a Halloween shirt picture in front to go with our Disneyland one. We did accidentally end up with a spooky one with Dad’s hand as a shadow, though.

Destination Info:
Magic Kingdom
Lake Buena Vista, FL

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom - Under the Sea Journey of the Little Mermaid

Date of Visit: January 9, 2014

While this ride has been open our past couple trips to Walt Disney World, we have always skipped it because the line is long and we have enjoyed it regularly at Disney's California Adventure.  This trip we decided to try it out at the Magic Kingdom finally because we could choose it as one of our Fastpass+ options.  In the end, though, we got to the park for 8 a.m. Extra Magic Hours and just went through the regular queue instead of waiting over an hour for our Fastpass+ time.

Under the Sea - Journey of the Little MermaidUnder the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid

We really enjoyed the queue and actually would not have minded if there had been a wait, as there is a lot to see and it's nicely themed for the ride.  We only got to just walk straight through it, though, since the only wait was after we got to the front and were directed to the wheelchair area to wait for the wheelchair accessible vehicle to come around.

Under the Sea - Journey of the Little MermaidUnder the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid

For the most the ride is exactly the same as at Disney's California Adventure.  However, there is one huge difference.  The wheelchair vehicle is actually a clam like the rest of the vehicles except it does not have a tall back.  It did seem roomier than the accessible vehicle at Disney's California Adventure, but we really like the King Triton's chariot theming of that one better (also, have heard that one referred to as the wave vehicle).  This Magic Kingdom one just ends up looking like an odd clam.  Overall same ride experience, though, and it is nice that they can efficiently load wheelchairs and only slow down the ride rather than have to stop it.
Magic Kingdom
Lake Buena Vista, FL

Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom - A Pirate's Adventure: Treasures of the Seven Seas

A Pirate's Adventure: Treasures ofthe Seven SeasDate of Visit: January 11, 2014

A Pirate's Adventure is something I had wanted to do on our December trip, but forgot to try out since we were busy with the holiday parties (Mickey's Very Merry Christmas and D23 Holiday Splendor).  When we were doing Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom at the cinema on Main Street a cast member asked if we had tried it and described it to us, which not only reminded me I wanted to try it out, but got Mik interested in it.

We did it right after we got to the Magic Kingdom around park opening and it ended up being a good time to do it with not too many people around in Adventureland.  You start by enlisting in a building past the Pirate's of Caribbean ride (almost in Frontierland).  We thought it was funny they wanted to make sure you knew it was not the ride when you entered the queue, as apparently people often enter thinking it is a ride.

A Pirate's Adventure: Treasures ofthe Seven Seas

A Pirate's Adventure: Treasures ofthe Seven Seas
When you enlist you get a magic talisman that is used to begin your adventure and activate the different symbols you have to locate on your treasure hunt. There are five different maps and after you put your talisman by one of the screens it tells you which map to pick up as well as what symbol to go to first.
A Pirate's Adventure: Treasures ofthe Seven Seas
We ended up only doing one adventure.  It had us find three different locations/symbols.  At each one when you out your talisman to the symbol it told part of the story and then lit up the symbol of where to go next until the end it told you to return to where you enlisted if you want to search for more treasure.
A Pirate's Adventure: Treasures ofthe Seven Seas
Overall it was fun to see it activate different things, especially the skeleton coming out of the water at the end.  It reminded Dad and I of the different adventures we did when we stayed at Aulani that led to us activating different things including making the volcano erupt and the lobby floor light up.  Mik seemed to think it was okay, but the very first symbol we activated was a gun and it made a loud gunshot sound that totally surprised us and leading Mik to not really like the adventure due to him not liking loud noises.  At the second spot, it was a cannon and he made sure to cover his ears before we activated it and since he was ready it didn't bother him.  Mik did say that some other trip he may be interested in doing more and Dad and I most definitely will.

A Pirate's Adventure: Treasures ofthe Seven Seas

Destination Info:
A Pirate's Adventure: Treasures of the Seven Seas

Magic Kingdom
Lake Buena Vista, FL

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom - Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas PartyDate of Visit: December 5, 2013

Originally, I only purchased tickets for Dad and I to go to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, but a few days later Mik decided he wanted to try it out since Mom was with us this trip and the ticket includes theme park admission (she does not have an annual pass like the rest of us).  He figured if he got tired of it, they could at least leave.  He also remembered enjoying the Halloween party we did a few years ago at Disneyland and thought this would be fun like that, although slightly different.

Since you can get in a few hours before the party starts, we killed some time going on Jingle Cruise and shopping in the Christmas store in Liberty Square.  We then got in line to buy the special pins only available during the party. Not as bad as shopping at D23 Expo, but poor location with the traffic flow of the pin store in Frontierland being forced in the accessible entrance and then your stuck exiting the other way, which is not entirely a big deal, but then everyone was already starting to crowd it getting ready for parade.  We decided to just quickly grab a spot one row back from the front to at least enjoy the parade.  Mom then went back and forth several times getting us all some of the free cookies and cocoa they give out during the party.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

The parade was overall enjoyable, although the princess float broke down causing a long delay in the parade.  Mik was tired of everything by then, especially since it ended up being actually more crowded than when we have normally been in the Magic Kingdom.  Thus, we quickly went and got the special Sorcerer of the Magic Kingdom card for the party for each of us and then Mom took him back to the truck to wait.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party


Dad and I stayed to watch the show on the castle (totally awesome, especially with our Glow with the Show ears from Disneyland now working here, although we got stuck in a spot just off Main Street and it did not always sync with show).  We also saw the fireworks and the show in front of castle before quickly backtracking to Frontierland to buy a peppermint brownie before the second parade started and then grab some cookies and cocoa on our way out.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

Overall the entertainment that goes with Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party was an enjoyable holiday thing to experience.  However, we expected it to feel more like the Disneyland Halloween party in terms of crowds. Instead it felt very crowded and actually more so than most times we are in the park during normal hours.  I guess that could have to do with it being sold out that night and maybe the Halloween one was not when we did it, but still Disneyland seems to take less people to feel crowded.

It was worth experiencing at least once, especially since I really wanted this year's Sorcerer card with Scrooge's nephews, but not sure we would do it again and if we did we certainly would only get tickets for Dad and me.  Mom and Mik would have more fun and almost spent less money if they had instead gone to the Fork & Dine at the AMC in Downtown Disney.

Destination Info:
Magic Kingdom - Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party
Lake Buena Vista, FL