Evening Magic at the Magic Kingdom

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By now you’d think that we’d have had enough of the Magic Kingdom but Joe wanted us to see the fireworks plus we still needed to get dinner.

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Everything in the Magic Kingdom was booked. Unless you had reservations you were out of luck. We finally ended up with hot dogs on Main St. ( They were very good hot dogs too) We started out sitting on the brick wall but someone finally gave up a table.

Joe spotted it first and I saw him take off at a run. He got there almost before the ladies were out of their seats but it was a good thing because there were other people right on his heels.

The table turned out to be a great seat for the Fireworks over  Cinderella’s Castle too. After dinner and before the show Joe, Saralyn and Tim wanted to go shopping for souvenirs but we didn’t want to lose the table so I elected to stay put and guard our seats.

Good thing I did.

Before the fireworks was another show where pictures taken by the Disney photographers of people around the park are projected up onto Cinderella’s Castle. They seem to melt and shimmer as they change. I couldn’t make out the faces too well where we were seated. It was a bit far for my eyesight but it was still pretty and fascinating to watch.

 Cinderella’s Castle was changing colors which was quite lovely all on its own.

We were in the perfect spot for the fireworks over the castle and that moment was fast approaching.

 And then it was over and time to fight the crowd back to the bus.

Magic Kingdom

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Now that we had the Keys to the Kingdom we were free to play the rest of the afternoon. This is when the experience becomes more visual and auditory. Although I don’t have sound, imagine an undercurrent of laughing and crying (and yes, children do cry at the Happiest Place on Earth. I guess no one explained that to them) , talking and even yelling. There is music  and the sounds that go with the rides. There’s the clack-clack of the roller coasters and then the screams of fear or delight and they go over the top and start the plunge.

We had a couple of Tea Cup fans . Joe and Saralyn both like those so we had to let them get a ride.

I like the carousel but I’d rather take the pictures than ride it. Tim and Joe were willing to take that ride for the sake of art.

 I wanted to ride the Steam Train and the River Boat. We made it to the River Boat but the Steam Train has to wait for another visit. The River Boat was a relaxing ride while the narrator pointed out the sights and sections of the country we were passing through. We could hear “Sam” calling out the depth as we went along…Mark….Twain….

We caught a showing of the animated bears. I forget what they were called but they were a real hillbilly jug band.

The show at Cinderella’s Castle is spectacular. It made me think of the show that was televised during the Christmas Parade this past December.

We can’t forget “It’s A Small World”…after the ride the song will be in your head for the next week! 🙂

Of course what would Walt Disney World be without parades.

We went in search of a sweet snack or ice cream and ran into the Barber Shop Quartet. They were really entertaining. At one point instead of tapping one of the members did a series of little hops. I laughed and said “I can do that” meaning hop..not tap dance…well someday I may learn to keep my mouth shut!. They got to the refrain, each did their little tap dance and then the last one pointed at me and shouted. “take it!” I did my best impression of  soft shoe in my clunky sneakers while everyone one clapped and laughed. Good fun if a bit embarrassing.

The Keys to the Kingdom

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I was up bright and early to meet up with Tim, Saralyn and JR (AKA Joe) for our Magic Kingdom backstage tour. I grabbed a quick breakfast at IHop and then attempted to locate the Wilderness Camp where JR had rented a cabin for the 3 of them. They invited me to stay too but I had my accommodations all set up and I figured that although it might be fun to all be together that I would get a better night’s sleep at my own resort. After all, I’m not used to all this togetherness! 🙂

I was supposed to meet them at 7 am so we could all take the bus from the Wilderness Camp to the Magic Kingdom. I had a parking pass for my car  (courtesy of J.R.) so I did not have to pay for parking that day. As it turned out I didn’t have to pay for parking my whole trip thanks to Joe so that alone was a major savings.

I got lost. No surprise there. I asked Joe for an address so I could use my GPS but he said there wasn’t one..hmmm. I’m sure there is  but probably he didn’t know what it was. After all, he knows his way around. Eventually he answered the phone and directed me that way.

He drove into the parking lot right after I got there. We locked up and headed over to the bus stop. It was cold! Which was a big surprise to me.

We all had our Birthday buttons on. We were in front of the Entrance when a cast member dropped to one knee to sing Happy Birthday to me. Do you think anyone thought to get a picture of that? Of course not  but it was really fun.  No one has ever sung to me from one knee before. 🙂 That certainly made up for getting lost. It started my day off with a nice feeling.

Inside the park we checked in with the tour office and picked our lunch choices. The tour was a “Birthday Gift” from Joe to us. He paid for all 3 of our tours .  Thanks Joe!

Then we settled in to wait. It’s pretty different seeing the Town Square empty. The last time I was here was on Christmas day and there wasn’t room to breathe much less walk! Now, before the park opened it was empty. The buildings were really pretty in the early morning sunlight.

We spent the time waiting by taking pictures since there were no crowds to get in the way.

When it was time for our tour we were handed head sets so that the guide could speak to us without yelling. If we’d been able to answer back by talking into our sleeves we could have pretended to be FBI or CIA or Secret Service. After all the Prez had just left a couple of days before.

Our guide’s name was Patrick and he has been leading these tours for quite a few years and he did tell us about the going’s on with President Obama. They had to close down a whole section of the Magic Kingdom to guests while he was there.

But back to our tour. Patrick was going to show and tell us all the secrets of the Magic Kingdom. There are 4 keys. I’m not sure I can remember them and we didn’t take notes. In fact what they tell you in the tour  is supposed to stay on the tour. (Kind of like “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”) When we were “on stage” (street level) he answered questions with comments like “Of course it’s real” and Here come “Chip and Dale”.

When we would go behind the scenes he would tell us how many lights are in the Electrical Light Parade and how the cast members get from place to place and so on. In other words, when “on stage” he couldn’t share secrets because he had to stay “in character” . When behind the scenes he could be candid and answer all the “burning” questions.

But let’s see if I can remember the 4 Keys. Safety was one, in fact I think that was #1 although I question that since it seems all the rides have moving sidewalks to get you on and off. I staggered around a lot because of those sidewalks!

#2 is COURTESY and I have to say I did not hear one harsh word from any cast member in the 3 days I was in the park. Everyone was smiling and pleasant and even willing to go out of their way to help you. I definitely can see this Key in action.

#3 is the Show. And all I can say is What a Show! Although it’s apparent in all the parks, each cast member dresses and acts as if they are in the location represented by that park, It’s especially apparent in the Magic Kingdom because so much of that is Fantasy. You won’t see a cowboy in Africa for example but you might see Goofy dressed for a safari.

#4. is Efficiency. Now from a guest standpoint things seem to run very efficiently but from the off stage comments Disney may be a bit light in this area. Some of the things they are working on is improving the Status Boards  so you can check the wait times for your favorite rides and have them accurate.

The tour included a couple of rides. Patrick explained the animatronics of the River Safari Ride. Later while backstage we saw one of the boats being removed from service to be repaired. Pictures are not allowed backstage. They told us not to bring our cameras but Patrick said “It’s Walt Disney World! Of course you can take pictures…on stage only”.

The Haunted Mansion was much more fun than I expected especially the special ghost effects.

Lunch was included. Saralyn and I had Fried Shrimp. Quite a nice lunch for a tour lunch. Our name cards included a pretty little golden Key lapel pin. A very Nice touch.

After lunch our tour wrapped up with a tour of the Tunnels under the Magic Kingdom. From what Patrick said, this is the most requested part of the tour by real die-hard Disney fanatics. It’s almost mystical to those folks because this is where everyone gets around without being seen by the guests above. All the utilities and electrical conduits run through here too so if something needs to be repaired  plumbers and workmen aren’t seen trudging through the park and ruining the ambiance for the guest. All deliveries are distributed throughout the park via these tunnels for the same reason. It was pretty cool. I like the idea. For some reason they didn’t run tunnels under the other parks. Patrick didn’t say why but maybe no one asked him.

Although that about wrapped up our tour, the day was still young. It was only about 2:30 pm. The tour was both interesting and entertaining. I am not a “Disney Fanatic” and I enjoyed it so I guess I can recommend it.

 I think I’ll save the afternoon for my next post. I’ve gotten a bit long-winded here.

Ahh Orlando, Home of the Mouse

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Now that we have the accommodations out-of-the-way, let’s get back to the activities.

I was in my rental car on I4, the main highway from the airport to my little home away from home, when my cell phone rang. My friend Joe was on the line. After he assured me that it was legal to talk on the phone and drive in Florida I agreed to listen to what he had to say.

My friends Saralyn and Tim (not a couple) had both arrived in Orlando earlier in the day. I was the last to make it and they were just waiting for me to go to dinner. I guess I’m not going to get a chance to recover from the travel. I made some feeble protests that I was tired and needed to get checked in and wanted a shower but the most I got was a concession to “wait for me”.

Well, I have to eat anyway so I might as well enjoy the meal with friends. I hadn’t seen Saralyn or Tim since we went on a cruise about 8 years ago. We stayed in touch (infrequently) via Facebook. My friend Joe, who I see more than that and usually speak to once a week, is the hub around which the 3 of us seem to orbit. It was for his birthday that we all went on the cruise and now here we were all gathered together again due to his efforts.

Joe said they were going over to the Irish Pub in Downtown Disney and to just meet them there.

Check-in at the resort went smoothly and I was in my unit in no time. I tossed my suitcase in the corner and ran out to the Winn-Dixie to pick up a few essentials that I chose not to pack. Then it was off to Downtown Disney.

Downtown Disney isn’t too far from my resort and I lucked out in the parking area. I entered the park near the T-Rex restaurant and immediately asked a park employee for directions to the pub. It was right around the corner! I couldn’t have planned it better if I’d known where I was going!

If finding the pub was easy, finding my 3 friends was not! There was a waiting line inside and tons of tourists passing by outside. Mass confusion reigned. I managed to get into the Pub and walked around looking for them at all the tables. An Irish band was playing and Irish Step dancers tapped away on 2 stages. It was pandemonium.

I tried calling Joe but his phone went to voice mail. I stepped back outside where it was marginally quieter and noticed that I’d missed several calls too…all from Joe. I tried him again and this time I got him. They were in line waiting for a table. He told me to stay put and he’d come to me. Minutes later I saw him approaching and he led me back to where they were waiting in line.

Hugs all around and Saralyn handed me a “Birthday Button” to wear. She and Tim each had one too. Saralyn’s birthday was in December, Tim’s had just passed in January and mine was right around the corner in February so Joe had gotten these Birthday Buttons for all of us. Joe works at Disney so he knows all the ins and outs of the place.

Joe and I chose the excellent fish and chips and Saralyn and Tim went more traditional with “Bangers and Mash”. The band entertained all through dinner with several shows by the Irish Dancers. As the meal wound to an end our waiter brought out a bread pudding for us to share. He had spotted the Birthday Buttons and wanted  to give us a dessert to help celebrate the occasion.

After dinner we wandered a little but we all wanted an early night because Joe had booked us on a backstage tour of the Magic Kingdom and we had to be there bright and early.