Embracing my inner child
Trip Start
Jun 30, 2010
1
29
48
Trip End
Aug 15, 2010
Orlando, Florida
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Disneyworld, Orlando, stretches for over 200 acres and you could quite easily spend a full week there and still not have seen everything. As Disneyworld charges more for going to more than one park, we opted for the Magic Kingdom. It costs $84 (including tax) to get into the Magic Kingdom, and once you've purchased your ticket you have the choice of either catching the monorail or hopping on the ferry to the Magic Kingdom entrance.
Once inside you're greeted by Main Street, USA, and town square with a whole host of shops and restaurants selling every type of Disney merchandise you can think of. I'm sure it's no coincidence that you enter and leave the park past the shops! I arrived just in time to see one of the frequent parades with elaborate floats, street dancers and a whole host of your favourite Disney characters. Walking up Main Street you can either continue on to the world famous Cinderella Castle, or turn left to Adventureland, or right to Tomorrowland, two of the five parks which form Magic Kingdom. Feeling a bit overwhelmed by the sheer size and scale of the park, and not really knowing where to start, I carried on until I came to the Castle, arriving just in time to catch one of the regular shows, this one with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and the Disney Princesses, to name a few.
After the show it was decision time and I opted to do it as logically as possible, starting at Adventureland and working clockwise, trying my best to ensure I didn't miss anything along the way. I started with the Swiss Family Robinson's tree house, before moving onto the Enchanted Tiki Room, The Jungle Cruise and The Pirates of the Caribbean. All were well suited for the intended audience (bearing in mind Disney is mostly for kids) but each lacked any kind of thrill, barring Pirates of the Caribbean, although the Enchanted Tiki Room made use of some of the characters from the Lion King and embraced the Disney spirit you would expect.
Next came Frontierland. This is probably one of the better known areas within the Magic Kingdom as it hosts Splash Mountain and the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, a crazy rollercoaster which left me battered and bruised and wondering why they deem it suitable for kids... or perhaps I'm just a big scaredy cat. In Frontierland I also visited Tom Sawyer Island which, as the name suggests, is only accessible by boat, Haunted Mansion, which the Eddie Murphy film of the same name was derived from, took a trip round the park on the Disneyworld Railroad, and visited the very awesome Hall of Presidents, which features a look back at key moments in American history in a show which has animatronic maquettes of every President of the United States. Frontierland is the place to go if looking for thrill rides and was probably my favourite part of all in Magic Kingdom.
Next I passed back into Main Street through the gates of Cinderella's Castle into Fantasyland. If any area of the Magic Kingdom is more aimed towards children this is it. Fantasyland has rides like Cinderella's Golden Carousel, and the Mad Tea Party. I opted for... ahem... The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh, where you took a trip round a Winnie The Pooh story inside a giant honey pot, It's A Small World, with a boat ride round a series of rooms with animatronic puppets displaying stereotypes of countries from around the world (including Scotland), and Mickey's PhilharMagic, which was an amazing 3D animation featuring hit songs from some of the major Disney productions of the 20th Century, presented in full surround with interactive moments. The 3D on this is amazing and you actually felt as if the characters were coming out of the screen. Mickey's PhilharMagic was by far one of my favourite parts of the day and is not to be missed.
After Fantasyland, working clockwise round the park, you come to Mickey's Toontown Fair, the smallest area of the park, again geared more towards kids. This area has Mickey's Country House, Minnie's Country House, Donald's Boat, the Disney Hall Of Fame, and The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm, all of which are walk round attractions with the exception of the Barnstormer, a small rollercoaster which was disappointingly over so soon that it wasn't worth queuing up for.
The final area of the Magic Kingdom is Tomorrowland. This is another well known area of Disneyworld as it hosts Space Mountain, one of the few rollercoaster's in the park. Tomorrowland also has a Speedway, the Astro Orbiter ride, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger spin, and Stitch's Great Escape ride. I opted for the Carousel Of Progress, detailing the changes in the American family from the turn of the century, created for the 1964 World's Fair and existing today with minimal updating, the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, a monorail ride round Tomorrowland and through the outer areas of some of the more popular rides, and the Monsters Inc Laugh Factory, a stand up comedy show which hilariously incoporates members of the audience into the show.
After grabbing a quick bite to eat it was time to head for Main Street, USA to catch the Electrical Parade, with an assortment of illuminated floats decorated with your favourite Disney characters and supported with a cast of dancers and acrobats. This parade was amazing and isn't to be missed if you're in the park at 9pm, although finding somewhere to stand where you can see the action is pretty tricky, so pick your spot early and stay there.
After the parade I had a little free time to wander round and make some purchases from one of the many stores available, before heading towards the Castle to watch the fireworks show that has become a staple of the Disneyworld Summer. I navigated my way through the bustling crowds on Main Street, USA and found a great spot in front of the Castle. It's while I was standing here that I learned my new camera ($69 from Walmart) has a 'fireworks' mode, which came in handy tonight. As the clock struck 10pm the lights dimmed and the colour-changing Castle illuminated further, setting out the story that set up the fireworks show perfectly, incorporating the usual characters, and starting off the fireworks show in a display that lit up the skies far above the Magic Kingdom. At one point Tinkerbell, played by a live girl, zipped out of the Castle and across the skyline above our heads, setting up the grand finale where a chorus of bangs and flashes perfectly complimented the Disney music playing all around us. With the final firework, the Castle seemed to explode with light, signalling the end of the Disney day.
Everyone then set off on their way home, choosing either the monorail or the ferry. As the ferry queue seemed the shortest, I lined up with everyone else, finding myself stuck beside a family from Coatbridge. Once we were back at the park entrance, Anniken was waiting for us and we headed back to camp and into our warm tents which tonight seemed a little cooler, perhaps because we had a full day in the hot Florida sun to acclimatise. This is all too evident from my face which currently resembles a lobster... oops. Now where did I put that after sun?!
