Trip Log:

Started off the morning sleeping in a bit because of the late night last night so we did not venture out until around 9am. Decided to head to the Magic Kingdom this morning. Had some great bus luck and walked right onto a bus at Pop Century and it stopped in a close space at MK. Strolled up Main Street USA and stopped by Liberty Square to see the Muppets (goal was to see the show we had not). It was the same Declaration of Independence show so we walked to Tomorrowland and used a Fastpass+ for Buzz. Then walked back to Liberty Square for the next Muppets show. After the show tried to go for a Cruise on the Liberty Belle and missed it by a couple minutes. Used a FastPass+ for the Haunted Mansion and again missed the Liberty Belle. Walked to the hub and watched Mickey's Royal Friendship Faire then back to Liberty Square for lunch at Columbia Harbor House. After lunch finally made it onto the Liberty Belle. Then walked to Adventureland and used a FastPass+ for the Jingle Cruise. Once back on land stopped by the Country Bears followed by another visit to Tomorrowland, this time for a PeopleMover ride. Walked out to Storybook Circus and hopped on the train to Main Street. Then walked out and caught a bus to Hollywood Studios. Walked up Hollywood Blvd and caught the March of the First Order then walked to the end of Pixar Place, turned around, and walked back to One Mans Dream. Circled through the exhibits then walked over to the other side of the park. Ate dinner at PizzeRizzo after walking around the new restaurant. Once we were done eating returned to Hollywood Blvd to find a spot for Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam! which started at 6:45pm. Joined the large mass of guests leaving the park and waited for a bus to Epcot. First stop in Epcot was Spaceship Earth then wandered around Future World including checking out the new time line and Mouse Gear for a while before making my way out to World Showcase and the FastPass+ viewing area for Illuminations. After the Peace on Earth tag joined the masses exiting the park. Took the bus back to Pop Century to call it a night.

Thoughts & Observations:

• I used up all my bus luck today. We managed to walk right onto buses with no wait or delay each time we wanted to go somewhere today. That rarely happens so we really enjoyed it while we could, knowing it would even out in the end.

• Speaking of buses, Disney started their new Express Bus Service. For a fee ($15 a day or $24 for up to 7 days) you can catch a bus to another park from inside the park. This allows you to by pass security. I think the concept and idea for this is great. My issue with it is you are already paying the park hopping fee, ticket to get in, and for many Disney Resort fees so why do you have to pay extra? Seems it would be a win win to offer this service to resort guests with park hoppers as another perk to staying on site. This would shorten bag checks and take some pressure off the buses out front. I understand trying to squeeze out more money but why not add value for all.

• Caught Mickey's Royal Friendship Faire was a nice change of pace and worked well for the venue. I liked how they had a seasonal finale.

• Today we did ok with FastPass+ using it for several attractions with no problems. Most were not booked until I was in the park today.

• I found it disappointing they have not plused the Jingle Cruise at all. It seemed to be identical to last years. The Disneyland version is substantially better to us.

• The PeopleMover was having a lot of issues. It was pausing, lights coming on, etc.. and was down right before we boarded. This made for a slightly longer ride than normal.

• Made our way over to the Hollywood Studios in the evening. The First Order March was about to occur so we watched it. It was under whelming to me. I did like how they had a live video feed so guests could see it.

• I took a look around at the construction for Toy Story and Star Wars and there is not a lot of visible progress from in the park because there are almost no views of the work. You can see some clearings and one Toy Story structure. It would be really nice to have an observation post like they had for DCA as well as some sort of preview center.

• One Man's Dream continues to loose items. The back portion no features a Moana meet and greet. so the exhibits that were there are all gone.. this includes the D23 area as well as Fortress Explorations. On the plus side having Moana there did bring in more foot traffic.

• PizzeRizzo is great! The food is the same as it was but the expanded seating and new theme are very well done. It was disappointing that it closed at 5:30pm with the park open till 7:00pm. We had the upstairs nearly to ourselves so I guess that is why it closes early. With only the Muppets out there the foot traffic is just not there.

• Waited nearly an hour for the Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam show. I watched from between the two projector towers. Overall the show was good. I enjoy Prep and Landing so it worked for me. I thought the Nightmare Before Christmas injection into the story was odd and did not work that well though.. The effects, especially the lasers looked great. The new fireworks launch location being off to the side was really awkward and not optimal. My biggest issue with the show, besides the name that bothers me, is the number of spots to view the entire show are extremely limited with almost everywhere offering obstructed views of it.

• Closed out the night with Illuminations using a FastPass+. This is my favorite spot to watch the show.

Pedometer Information for the day:

Other Picture sets from today:

• “Live” Pictures from the day featuring a look as I walked around
• Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Pizze Rizzo at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Afternoon at Disney’s Hollywood Studios WDW
• Afternoon at the Magic Kingdom WDW
• Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire
• Disney Express Transportation Upgrade Option Details
• Morning visit to the Magic Kingdom