Almost our last day at Walt Disney World of perhaps our shortest trip ever. Having never done this before, we saved one third of our time away for Universal Orlando. What a great move on our part, but more on that later.
What's not to love about the Magic Kingdom? All the classic Disney Imagineering attractions are found there, and aside from Pirates of the Caribbean and maybe It's A Small World, the superior versions of those shared by both the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland mostly reside in Florida.
The main objective for the day was doing some old favorites (like the beloved Peoplemover) and letting my son see New Fantasyland, particularly Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Then, we wanted to have a drink at Trader Sam's Grog Grotto and check out the Polynesian Village Resort before heading off for Disney Springs if possible. This necessitated an early start only accomplished by bus.
If You Had Wings... sorry, wrong attraction!
I was prepared to strongly dislike the paint scheme on Cinderella Castle. I didn't, but I certainly didn't love it. The original palette of gray/white/blue, colors designed by Imagineer Herb Ryman, remains far superior, more royal and elegant, to what came after it- including the infamous 25th Birthday "cake" makeover.
We queued to go right at the end of Main Street into Fantasyland by the Mad Tea Party. Upon rope drop, we realized the newest Magic Kingdom coaster was not operating at opening, so we quickly moved on to Peter Pan's Flight while it was a 10 minute wait. Wise move as the park became quite full later in the day and the wait was 40 minutes or more. While they stopped for sunscreen, I walked around nearby taking photos of the area and peaked inside It's A Small World to see the clock's new paint job. Very nice!
It's these added touches that make me appreciate Florida's mansion.
In quick succession after our pit stop was Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Jungle Cruise. The recently made over Disney boat ride- a classic since opening day- held our longest wait of the day at just about 30 minutes.
While I prefer New Orleans Square at Disneyland to Liberty Square at the Magic Kingdom, it was time to admit that the Florida Mansion is superior to that of the California home of 999 happy haunts. Even without the Hat Box Ghost. It's not to say it's perfect, but its strengths outweigh the weaker areas.
The Dutch Gothic Revival style home is intimidating to eerie effect. The interactive queue is an unnecessary addition, but the physical ride portion inside the mansion is longer and much more elaborate. The end of ride walkway past the crypt is a nice touch. It's grand but humorous and totally unexpected. The attraction is also available in its original form year round, and that my friends, is a big plus. Where Haunted Mansion Holiday wears thin, the original classic version stands the test of time.
You have to ride the new version and decide for yourself.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Jungle Cruise. Which of these "E Tickets" are not better in the Magic Kingdom? Only one- the truncated pirate adventure. We got on them so quickly, one after another.
Monkeys. Why does it have to be monkeys?
With the only real wait being for the Jungle Cruise, it was amazing how much we did in so little time. What about all the changes to this opening day attraction? Absolutely nothing special. Lots of monkeys and low on creativity. If it wasn't for the rest of the classic attraction, I wouldn't bother riding again. Sadly, our skipper was really wimpy, too soft-spoken, seemingly bored, and just uninterested in giving us a great experience. His puns were delivered without energy or style. He wouldn't last ten minutes in the jungle. A very unconvincing presentation. All these factors combined took us right out of the story, turning our should be classic adventure into just another leisurely stroll through any mid-size city's botanical gardens. The new contemporary story is noticeably forced and unnecessary- like much of modern Imagineering when it tries to be relevant instead of remembering what it does best. Your mileage may vary.
From the top of the underrated Swiss Family Treehouse.
After a quick meal, I took a stroll to the treetops and rewarded myself with a Dole Whip. The Swiss Family Treehouse is an old school styled attraction that lets guests really imagine what it would be like to be in another time and place. It's rich and imaginative, allowing you to get lost in the story and linger. This is something missing from so many attractions designed by younger Imagineers without training from classic mentors before them. Do they just want to thrill us or slap the quickest ways to infuse an intellectual property into a previously built area? Maybe they have no choice. Not every story needs a villain nor does something have to go terribly wrong. The variety of attraction types and emotional connecting points is part of what made the first three Disney parks remarkably balanced and layered.
On to Tomorrowland! It needs Tron Light Cycle Run and very quickly. Not only am I very excited to ride it, but I want to be able to take a trip on the Walt Disney World Railroad again. Most importantly, Space Mountain needs to have its track replaced. Badly. It's more than rough and the equivalent of Disneyland's Matterhorn Bobsleds. It is a painful ride. Nearby, Buzz was a brief amount of fun, but the clear winner was easily the classic WEDWAY Transit Authority Peoplemover. Traveling above it all and getting some great views brings a fresh perspective on how great the Magic Kingdom can be.
All that was really left was Fantasyland, the newer rides there, a trip through It's a Small World, and Mickey's Philharmagic. Surprisingly, our son really enjoyed the Dwarf's mine train ride! After a fairly quick 25 minute or so wait, we were on. It was zippier than he expected with its tight curves and gently rocking cars, and I think that surprised him. I still don't like the use of projected face animatronics, but again, I'm fairly old school.
It's what inside that counts.
Our son was only mildly impressed with Ursula on Ariel's Undersea Adventure, but the attraction as a whole was not worth any additional comment. Pretty neutral on New Fantasyland as a whole. Aside from the coaster, it seemed the new buildings and landscaping promised something not worth the actual experience contained inside. Walking by Be Our Guest Restaurant didn't even register a response. That is telling! The area should be a standout as it represents one of Disney's most beloved films. But he is not the 6 year old girl that is the target audience here. After sampling a variety of items at Gaston's Tavern, we moved onto the last two attractions of our visit.
This photograph is very similar to an image
that represented the attraction in early promotional materials.
Even after all these decades, It's A Small World remains one of my favorites. I am not immune to its simple charms. The themes of harmony, loving your neighbor, and genuinely appreciating cultural differences are needed more than ever in our fractured, broken, and lost world (which is in need of a Savior- but that's a different conversation). Mickey's Philharmagic still seemed fresh, and I can only wait to see the addition of Coco and how it impacts the show.
The entrance gardens are better than I thought they would be,
but the new lobby is still a loss of epic proportions.
Leaving the park at about 2:45pm for the Polynesian, this was perhaps my least amount of time at the Magic Kingdom ever. We stopped at the front for a photo or two. Then after debating monorail or boat, it was a short breezy cruise to my once favorite Disney Resort.
Being on the water traveling is one of my favorite experiences at Walt Disney World! This was a trip where we didn't ride the monorail once, and surprisingly, I didn't miss it at all. The Skyliner may have filled that gap. Hard to say, but I know each trip with each group is different, holding unique experiences. Unfortunately, we were offered a two hour wait for a spot inside Trader Sam's Grog Grotto. Nope. There's not a single restaurant or bar on the property worth that. In its place, it was off to Disney's Springs. Stopping to use our Disney Experience app to book our locations for drinks and a meal, we hit the jackpot!
I'm not the only one that loves travel posters!
I find them all over the Disney parks,
and as you'll soon see, they're all over Universal Orlando as well!
The suits and Imagineering hit a grand slam home run with Disney Springs. I now see it as the 5th park on the property. It is worth your time in even the busiest schedule as it is the home of some of the best places to eat and shop on the property. (This used to be Epcot, but the food has been mostly watered down to American palettes and the merchandise is now less appealing- more geared to all things Mickey and in places you don't expect.)
Of course, there's the requisite World of Disney store, but beyond that, this is the place you want to go for some unique merchandise in a setting that is sophisticated yet fun, themed but not over the top in your face. For those of you who have been to Universal Orlando but not Disney Springs, think of it as the "Anti- City Walk", and you'll get the idea. Be forewarned: the place is just packed on the weekends!
Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar was a spot we couldn't get into last visit, but this time being midweek, it was a very short ten minute wait. This Indiana Jones themed location was just what was advertised. Great execution of the story with tons of detail referencing his adventures, an exotic drink menu, solid appetizers, and an interesting and engaging wait staff.
We decided to set aside a couple of hours to walk around, enjoy the setting sun on the lake, and do a little souvenir shopping. It was a pleasant break from the non-stop theme park environment. Dinner was next.
This was what I had wanted to experience since it first opened...
The Edison. Wow. Look, I just love the food at Morimoto Asia and had a blast (and a great meal) at Raglan Road, but dinner at this steampunk restaurant and bar was at the very top of my Disney Springs must-do list from the day it opened. Vintage turn of the century era Paris and the city's Discoveryland at the French Magic Kingdom rank as some of my favorite atmospheres. Finding a place absolutley steeped in this look, complete with staff in the mood specific suits and live jazz set the stage for a great evening together. We all agreed it was one of the best places in either resort. You have to explore the restaurant to see all the individual very creative touches they put in it. A very thoughtful design!
... and I was not disappointed!
The menu's limited but excellent and innovative in taste and presentation. The drinks were unique and delicious (and pricey). The service is friendly but top notch. I wont go into any more detail about the actual meal. This isn't the great Disney Food Blog.
Live entertainment only adds to the excellence of it all. The in house band, a trio, was smoking hot, even taking modern day pop hits and putting them in an inventive jazz combo arrangement that made me stop to place where I've heard the song before. I'm huge music fan, everything from the early 20th century to present day. This blog is called Insights and Sounds for a reason, but it took me awhile to recognize Meghan Trainor's sharp and funny Dear Future Husband in a very convincing, authentic sounding flapper era arrangement. Well done! The lead vocalist song stylings were the icing on the cake. All said, it was the kind of night at The Edison that I had in my mind long before it actually materialized. I'd go again in a heartbeat. And you should as well!
Tomorrow would be our last day at Disney. We settled on the Studios to get one more ride on Rise of the Resistance. Would we get on? Then, it was off to Universal Orlando so my son could show us "his" parks. What would an old school Imagineering fan discover? Plenty!
(Photographs copyright Mark Taft.)
