Trip Log:

Started off my morning as the moon was still setting.  I headed for the bus stop around 7am and caught a bus to the Magic Kingdom.   I arrived at the front of the park at 7:30am just as the early morning time was starting.  Walked up Main Street USA and through the checkpoint to begin my early morning.  First up Peter Pan.  The posted wait was already 25 minutes but it turned out to be only 10 minutes.  Decided to walk back around the Castle to see the opening moment then joined the crowd walking into Adventureland.  Walked onto the Jingle Cruise followed by Haunted Mansion.  Crossed the hub to Tomorrowland and met the rest of my group for Buzz Lightyear and PeopleMover.  Took the train around to Frontierland and decided to visit Pirates of the Caribbean.   After Pirates stopped by the Country Bear Musical Jamboree then returned to Fantasyland and waited a few minutes for the Enchanted Tales with Belle.    We just missed the first Liberty Belle of the day so relaxed a bit waiting for it to return and took the 11:30am cruise around the Rivers of America.  Once ashore stopped by the Columbia Harbour House for lunch.  After eating caught the Main Street Philharmonic then the Dapper Dans before exiting the park.  Took the resort Monorail to the Contemporary to see the gingerbread castle.  Caught a bus to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and saw the Holiday Spirit Band with Max in the Animation Courtyard.  Took the Sky Liner to EPCOT and walked back to the room at the Beach Club for a bit.  Headed for EPCOT where we grabbed a snack in France.  Strolled around World Showcase stopping in Germany to watch the band then doubled back to watched the 6:45pm Candlelight.  After the show continued on around World Showcase Lagoon and into World Discovery and World Celebration.  Visited Spaceship Earth then hung out in World Celebration Gardens until it was time to find a spot for Luminous.  Ended up watching from near Canada this evening. After the show walked back to the Beach Club to call it a night.

Thoughts & Observations:

• I enjoy the early morning time but having to be on a bus before 7am in the cold was not the most enjoyable way to start the morning.  Luckily it was not crowded and there were no delays.  The Magic Kingdom had an 8am opening which meant a 7:30am early entry for resort guests so that meant a 7am bus was cutting it close but I did not want to have to wait around at the park and leaving when dark seemed too early.
• My goal this morning was to experience Peter Pan’s Flight since it was updated since my last visit. They restaged the Indian scene.  It fits in well and if you did not know the original or that it changed odds are you did not give it a second thought.
• After my flight the early morning time was just about up and it was nearing park opening so I decided to walk around the Castle and see the opening moment then rope drop the Jingle Cruise.   This morning it was not a bad wait and I walked right on. 
• I used the quiet morning to visit the Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear and the PeopleMover in rapid succession with no waits.   The Buzz Lightyear is really in need of some updating. It just feels run down to me and the original mounted guns are still annoying to use compared to other versions of the attraction.
• Took the train from Fantasyland around to Frontierland this morning.  It was nice with no wait and plenty of space onboard.   The view into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is much more open and easier to see than at Disneyland but the train comes into the station so fast you really only get a short glimpse.
• Visited Pirates of the Caribbean since there was a minimal wait.  Not sure why I visit the Magic Kingdom version, especially on cold days.  A fair amount of water was in the boat and splashed us plus the attraction is so short compared to Anaheim.
• The Country Bear Musical Jamboree held up well on a second viewing. 
• Some of our group had never visited the Enchanted Tales with Belle and there was no wait when we walked by so we visited.  I had not visited in years either.   The show is still a crowd pleaser for both the parents and children.  It is a well done character interaction and has held up well.   I find the pacing a bit sluggish but if I had a child participating I am sure I would say it goes by too fast.
• Went for a cruise on the Liberty Belle. I am really going to miss the Rivers of America at the Magic Kingdom.  The views of Big Thunder and the beyond are so peaceful from the river.  I am not a fan of the decision to remove all this for a Cars attraction (that I think would be better suited for Disney’s Hollywood Studios that is more in need of attractions too).
• For lunch we ate at the Columbia Harbour House.   It was nice to see the individual items offered via mobile. The last time I ate there you could not for example order just a shrimp plate via mobile you had to go to a register.
• The Magic Kingdom only a few live entertainment groups and I was able to catch the Main Street Phlilharmonic and Dapper Dans today.   Both were performing some Christmas music in their sets.
• Stopped by Disney’s Contemporary Resort to see the gingerbread castle.  The resort was busy but no where near as insanely busy as it was last year when we stopped to see the display.
• Decided to visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios to see the Holiday Entertainment I missed the other day.  The Holiday Spirit Band performs in the Animation Courtyard and features Goofy’s son Max with the band.   I found the speaker box the lead singer was using to be a poor choice vs park audio.  This just sounded bad, especially when he was singing.   Max’s interactions seemed awkward and mostly consisted of him walking back and forth.    I was annoyed by the cast members in the area during the show. Max’s handler was standing next to me and another cast member came over to switch with her or just talk to her.  I was clearly standing there taking video of the show and at first he walked in front of and stood in front of my shot. Then he went on to talk to her while the show was going on.  There was not a big crowd and he could have easily gone behind me.  Then mid show a custodial cast member comes up to empty the trash can next to me. He actually asked me to move mid show while I was recording it then proceeded to loudly open and empty the trash.   What happened to the concept of show?  Why did this cast member not go do another trash can then come back in 5-10 minutes once the show was over and do that one?  This was very poor.
• As we took the Disney Skyliner to EPCOT it started to drizzle and small shower blew through the area, so we quickly shut the vents to stay dry as water started to blow in through them.  By the time we reached EPCOT it was done and our timing was perfect to avoid the rain.
• Stopped by France for a snack and decided to wait in the queue at the bakery.  I noticed a group a couple people in front of me take the last two baguettes that were out.     I heard the person in front of me asked and a cast member went looking around for bread and found a tray.   So when it came our turn to order I asked and the cast member looked at both sides and said they were out.  I pointed out there was a tray full of them and she went there and got me one so it all worked out but I was close to being out of luck again.  This was close to 5pm too so there were still about 4 hours left in the operating day.
• This evening Gary Sinise was the guest narrator for the Candlelight Ceremony. He always draws a good crowd and does a nice reading. Each show he also makes a point to honor veterans and first responders in the audience. 
• Decided to visit Spaceship Earth since I had plenty of time.  Turns out I needed a good chunk of time as the attraction stopped a number of times for extended periods.   This meant an extended ride which is nice but my luck was not great and my views were not good while stopped most of the time.
• Walking through World Celebration Gardens tonight I noticed a number of the flickering and broken lights had been repaired. It was nice to see after several nights of problems.

Pedometer Information for the day:

	Part 1: Magic Kingdom Started my day at the Magic Kingdom visited Peter Pan's Flight, Country Bears, Pirates Storytime with Belle and a cruise on the Liberty Belle. 3 Images Per Page Our traditional format with medium size images and you can click to enlarge 1 Large Image Per Page A large image and you can navigate using buttons on the screen or your arrow keys Mobile Device Friendly One image per page and you can swipe
	Part 2: Contemporary & Disney's Hollywood Studios A quick visit to the Contemporary to see the gingerbread castle then Disney's Hollywood Studios to catch the Holiday Spirit Band. 3 Images Per Page Our traditional format with medium size images and you can click to enlarge 1 Large Image Per Page A large image and you can navigate using buttons on the screen or your arrow keys Mobile Device Friendly One image per page and you can swipe
	Part 3: EPCOT Wrapped up my day at EPCOT with the Candlelight and Luminous the Symphony of Us 3 Images Per Page Our traditional format with medium size images and you can click to enlarge 1 Large Image Per Page A large image and you can navigate using buttons on the screen or your arrow keys Mobile Device Friendly One image per page and you can swipe

Addition Blog Picture Posts from today:

• All My Picture Posts from Sunday, December 15, 2024
• Pictures: My Morning at the Magic Kingdom (12/15/24)
• Pictures: Gingerbread Castle at Disney’s Contemporary Resort 2024
• Pictures: Holiday Spirit Band with Max at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Pictures: Spaceship Earth at EPCOT
• Pictures: EPCOT Candlelight with Gary Sinise (12/15/24)