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Trip Log:
Slept in a bit and was out waiting for a bus around 9:20am. First stop today, the Magic Kingdom. Strolled up Main Street USA and around Cinderella Castle to Fantasyland to use a Peter Pan FastPass then backtracked by the Castle to Tomorrowland to use a Buzz Lightyear FastPass. Went for a ride on the People Mover. Saw the Street Party going on in the hub so made my way that way. After the party continued on to Liberty Square to catch a performance by the Muppets. Then out to Haunted Mansion, but it went down as we approached the merge point. Left the stopped queue when we saw guests coming out of the attraction. Made our way back to Tomorrowland and went for a spin on the Carousel of Progress. Spent some time wandering around Tomorrowland then back to Main Street and out to catch a boat to the Wilderness Lodge. Ate a relaxing lunch at Geyser Point then returned to the Magic Kingdom. Met some friends in Fantasyland and went for a cruise on the Liberty Belle in Liberty Square. Once ashore tried to make a Country Bear show and just missed it so instead circled back to the Hall of Presidents. Used a FastPass for Haunted Mansion, then decided to grab a bite at Casey’s Corner before catching a bus to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. At the Studios made my way up Hollywood Blvd and then around Echo Lake and circled the Grand Ave area. Then took Commissary Lane back toward the Chinese Theater and made my way out to Toy Story Land to use a Toy Story Mania FastPass. Walked around Toy Story Land for a bit then about 15 minutes before showtime headed for Hollywood Blvd to watch the Wonderful World of Animation show followed by the Star Wars fireworks. Joined the masses leaving the park and boarded a bus back to Pop Century to call it a night.
Thoughts & Observations:
- Started my morning off with a very long line for the Magic Kingdom bus at Pop Century. It was well outside the queue. There was a bus just finishing up when I arrived then two of the large double buses pulled up back to back and sucked up the queue. So the wait time was basically how long it took to load 3 buses, no time in between.
- Once at the Magic Kingdom and walking around the crowds felt on the heavy side considering it was a non holiday Wednesday. I had a couple FastPass+ made and then was able to book some others as we walked around so it saved time but meant some walking back and forth across the park due to timing. One nice aspect of the Magic Kingdom is there are a large number of FastPass+ attractions which means you can usually pick up some additional ones as the day goes on.
- Caught a performance of the Muppets in Liberty Square. I really enjoy these shows. I would like to see a couple new ones added to the rotation. Also I wish the printed times guide had show times. I noticed the app now lists show times which is a plus.
- Buzz Lightyear is really in need of some renovation. The attraction is showing its age.
- The Move It! Shake It! MousekeDance It! Street Party rolls through Main Street and the hub several times a day now. This latest version of the party debuted for Mickey’s 90th celebration and features the characters in their celebration costumes. Overall I thought this was a better version of the party than previous ones. The name is more annoying to type though and way too long to remember though.
- I had a FastPass+ for the Haunted Mansion so stopped by. We walked right up to the merge point and then everything stopped. The castmember standing there picked up the phone a couple of times but said nothing. Finally after a good 5 minutes or so I noticed guests coming out of the attraction and others walking out and checked the app and it listed it as down. We had already scanned our Magic Bands so the choice was wait or leave. We opted to leave since the CMs were not saying anything or moving. I do not understand why the queue was not cleared or an announcement made.
- During my Carousel of Progress visit a guest in one of the theaters must have stood up as the rotation began. The theater stopped and a cast member announced all must remain seated. After a few moments we started again but were off.. the show was going on as we rotated into position. I thought it was odd that when the theater stopped the show did not stop too.
- Decided to leave the park and head over to Geyser Point at the Wilderness Lodge for a relaxing lunch. It is fastfood but much more relaxing than the park and a fun break.
- In the mid afternoon I rebook and get onto the Haunted Mansion. Since my last visit the portrait gallery has been altered and they now take your picture there for an on-ride PhotoPass picture. Of course ours did not work properly and the picture we received is of some other random guests!
- With the construction around Sleepy Hollow the waits have been dramatically reduced. Stopped by for a snack in the late afternoon and there was no wait at all.
- Some instead opted to go to Casey’s. Not a big line to order but it took a very long time for the order to come up. It seems they ran out of fries and all orders were stopped for several minutes.
- I decided to leave the Magic Kingdom and head to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the evening. While en route I managed to pick up a FastPass+ for Toy Story, there were plenty to choose from. The park felt quiet. I did a quick lap and then headed for Toy Story Land. Slinky Dog Dash was posted at 35 minute only.
- I made my way to Hollywood Blvd to find a spot for the Wonderful World of Animation about 15 minutes before show time and had no problem at all finding a spot. The show runs at the same time as Fantasmic!. This new projection show started for the park’s 30th anniversary and takes you on through Disney and Pixar Animation. I thought the show was interesting to see the montages but it really seems to be a hodge podge of clips and not a cohesive story. Projection mapping is now really a given in the parks and it seems like a show dependent on it requires more now a days. There have been several shows already so the medium has been used (and maybe overused). The show itself was ok, but due to the medium feeling stale already it seemed to run long and be a nice filler as I waited for fireworks but I could see why there was not a crowd for it.
- I closed out my day with the Star Wars Galactic Spectacular show. Once Fantasmic! ended guests did filter into the area but overall it was not overly crowded for the show. This show relies heavily on projections too. The fireworks being off to the side still seems awkward to me too.
- Heading back to Pop Century was delayed too with no buses when I first showed up but then after a few minutes two showed up so they could double load which got the line moving. I made it onto the 2nd bus as the last person. Behind me there were a good 2-3 buses still though.
Pedometer Information for the day:
| Steps |
22,045 |
| Miles |
10.4 |
| Moderate | 15,740 |
| Walking Time |
138 |
Addition Blog Picture Posts from today:
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