Jared's Triumphant Return to Trip Reports: Day 2 (5/23)

[Jared]

Day One

Friday, May 23
Before falling asleep that night I scheduled a wake-up call at 7 a.m. I was awake staring at the digital clock on the nightstand at least 20 minutes before that, watching the digits slowly climb. 6:58, 6:59… To everyone’s chagrin, Mickey didn’t ring when the clock finally struck 7, but I hopped into the shower anyway, desperately wanting to get to the Magic Kingdom by opening. The phone finally rang while I was rinsing shampoo out of my hair, and my parents realized the clock in the room was about 10 minutes fast. Mickey was not late. We were just expecting him too early.

While everyone else was dressing, I went downstairs and explored the area in the daylight. I love the view from just outside the back door of the Beach Club with the BoardWalk clearly in sight from across the lake and the boats tooting their horns as they pull into the docks. I checked out the amazing pool and saw the outside of Beaches & Cream for the first time.

I met my family at the Beach Club Marketplace as everyone was sitting down for a light breakfast. I almost always skip the morning meal at Disney, saving my appetite for lunch and dinner. After a quick bite, we took a little walk around the facilities, again checking out the pool and the Yacht Club, before boarding the bus for the Magic Kingdom.

We arrived at the park around 8:45, and mom and Elyssa passed the time playing with the hula-hoops scattered around the entrance. A few minutes later, we all turned our attention to the cute opening show. I love the music, and I regularly listen to the “Welcome” track on the official Walt Disney World album. I especially love the part about walking right down the middle of Main Street, U.S.A.

We followed the massive horde into the park when the show ended, and my family rushed ahead, anxious to reach the rides. They don’t quite understand the appeal of Main Street, seeing it as just a funnel to the rest of the park, not an attraction itself. I stopped and listened to the amazing barber shop quartet for a couple minutes, and my dad started hollering at me to stop wasting time and catch up with the rest of the group. No matter how much my family likes Walt Disney World, nobody else truly understands how to appreciate it, how to relax and enjoy the subtle aspects of the parks and resorts. We have ridden the rides dozens of times. I wish someone else in my family realized why it was acceptable to spend 10 minutes on a beautiful Friday morning in the Magic Kingdom playing on Main Street instead of rushing ahead. This is why my two-day October trip exclusively with INTERCOT members was probably the best Disney experience of my life. I was in my favorite place with a couple hundred others who completely understand how I feel.

But I wasn’t going to let anything get me down. Not today. Not on the first day of my wonderful Disney adventure. Not in the Magic Kingdom.

It is our family tradition to start every trip in Fantasyland, a holdover from when we had a small child in tow clamoring to see all the fun Disney character-themed dark rides. Because we started so early, we rode Peter Pan’s Flight, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, “it’s a small world” and Snow White’s Scary Adventures in succession with virtually no wait anywhere. I realize Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride had a lot of support from Disney fans, almost a cult following, but I have never understood the mass aversion to Pooh. It is quite possibly my mom’s second-favorite attraction in the entire park behind Mickey’s PhilharMagic, and it’s definitely my favorite Fantasyland dark ride. The Audio-Animatronics are so modern looking and high-tech, the ride has music and color and neat special effects for a relatively small attraction and the whole thing is just cute. I have read so many posts criticizing the ride. Is that because people hold such a nostalgic connection to Mr. Toad, or am I totally wrong about the quality of its replacement?

Wanting to hit the other popular attractions before they got too crowded, we skipped Mickey’s PhilharMagic until later in the day and doubled back to Adventureland. The bridge connecting the central hub to Adventureland is one of my favorite spots in the park. Somehow, I am always impressed by how the Main Street music subtly changes into jungle music right there. You never seem to hear both themes at the same time.

Our destination was Pirates of the Caribbean, but I noted Jungle Cruise was closed. Anyone know why? I didn’t realize it is down right now. Is it just a basic rehab or something more?

There was no wait for Pirates yet. There never seems to be, even in the middle of the day. We sat in the middle of the boat and enjoyed the ride. We’re so used to seeing Captain Jack Sparrow mixed with all the other classic pirates by now he doesn’t seem out of place. I still think that was an appropriate change. It pleases fans of the movie franchise while still keeping the overall feel of the ride for Disney purists. And that Davy Jones waterfall effect at the beginning is amazing. I just wish the little skull and crossbones near the short drop were still there. Where did he go? Shockingly, Justin did not spend 15 minutes playing with, and asking to buy, the toy guns in the gift shop outside the ride. Maybe he’s finally growing up.

We continued clockwise to Frontierland next. Dad, Justin and I queued up for Splash Mountain. Elyssa would not come despite our best prodding, pleading and bribing. She is absolutely terrified of that final drop — or at least she thinks she is. Last year, after I begged, she rode and loved it. Apparently, she has a short memory.

Splash Mountain is still my favorite attraction in Walt Disney World, and it would take something truly spectacular to change my opinion. I’ve written my feelings for this ride numerous times on the boards. It encompasses all the best aspects of every other classic Disney attraction into one monumentally classic ride. It is an extraordinary dark ride in its own right, with a great storyline, cute Animatronics and a catchy soundtrack. Couple that with the thrill of the last drop — and the underrated second drop that goes down, up, then down again — and you have close to a perfect attraction.

This time, we were zapped by the water cannon coming around the first turn. My dad and I, sitting in the back row, were trying to will us up the hill before another log came zooming down the drop, but it was too late. Water cascaded upon us, and we were drenched. Fortunately, it was approaching 90 degrees outside, and the splashdown was appreciated. We had Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to dry off, anyway.

Elyssa rode with us on this one. My mom passed, claiming it’s too bumpy. The posted wait time was about 20 minutes, but it only took about 15 until we were seated on the train. Justin and Elyssa sat in the second row. Dad and I were right behind. I actually prefer the back of the train, but it was still fun, as always. Big Thunder is my second-favorite attraction in the park.

To save some walking, and to temporarily spell us from the hot sun that was growing even hotter, we hopped the Walt Disney World Railroad to the Mickey’s Toontown Fair station, and took that long narrow path to Tomorrowland. Dad, Justin, Elyssa and I obtained FASTPASSes for Space Mountain, which had a 40-minute wait. Then we queued for Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. I am notoriously bad at this ride, and for most of the game, it seemed my luck had not changed. I never know what I am shooting at, and I can never tell if my laser is connecting. My score slowly climbs 100 points at a time, rarely more. But during one of the last rooms, when you fire at the screen, not actual targets, I hit something worth at least 15 or 20,000 points, leaving me with a reasonable score of around 40,000. I didn’t come close to Justin, who absolutely dominated. My dad had the worst score of his life. He is usually the king of Buzz.

Next, we went to visit Mike Wazowski and the city of Monstropolis in the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. My dad and brother hadn’t seen this show and were excited about it after hearing glowing reviews from my mom, Elyssa and me. Everyone liked it, and we all agree it is a solid addition to the Tomorrowland lineup. My brother submitted a joke about airline peanuts, which was used but drastically changed. It was still credited to him, though. I don’t really know how that works.

We still had time to kill before our FASTPASS return time, so we decided to break for lunch, and then come back for the ride. Columbia Harbour House is our favorite counter service location in all of Disney, so we criss-crossed the park into Liberty Square. My parents and I both went for the Lighthouse Sandwich, which is hummus, tomato and delicious broccoli slaw on awesome thick-sliced whole-grain bread. Justin and Elyssa split an order the eight-piece chicken nuggets and a New England clam chowder. Somebody messed up our order and accidentally gave us a six-piece nuggets. When I went up to exchange the order, the Cast Member gave us a fresh eight-piecer and let us keep the six-piecer, so we had nuggets to spare.

I am very happy to report the new nuggets are just fine. They actually are a smaller version of the strips to which we were all attached. I’m sure Disney is somehow able to charge us more and give us less now, but the quality of the chicken is comparable. They are equally crispy with the same awesome batter. Our meal was amazing, as always. I love Columbia Harbour House and would happily have two or three meals there very trip.

It was time for Space Mountain, but we were disappointed to discover the ride was offline. The Cast Member did not know how long it would be down for but said our FASTPASSes would be valid anytime during the day.

[Jared]

Knowing we were coming back after dinner to finish our Magic Kingdom tour, we headed for the exit, but not before stopping at the Main Street Bakery for my absolute favorite treat in Disney (Ellen and Bethany, take a wild guess!): the fresh hand-scooped chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich. These things are huge, with two giant cookies with three scoops of vanilla ice cream smashed between. My entire family can easily share one, but my sister and I did most of the eating.

Now completely full and thoroughly satisfied, we caught the bus back to the Beach Club for a short rest and our first experience with Stormalong Bay. Bethany extolled the virtues of this mammoth pool for weeks leading up to the trip, so I thought I knew what to expect, but nothing could have prepared me for it. Stormalong Bay is undoubtedly the greatest pool I have been in ever in my entire life. My brother and I decided to let the slide acclimate us to the water. I was very surprised when I went around the first curve after the long chute to find a raging waterfall ready to douse me. Then came the shock of the sand at the bottom. And the awesome whirlpool. And the lazy river. The Beach Club is a great resort already because of its location. The pool is the icing.

We all played around in the pool for an hour or two before returning to the room for showers. While the others were getting ready for dinner, my dad and I went outside to a back lawn near the water to throw a baseball around. I played ball in high school, as some of you know, and it’s still always fun to go out there and loosen up the old arm. As we were playing, ominous storm clouds slowly came rolling in. We heard the first crack of thunder, and hundreds of guests evacuated the pool and headed for the hotel entrance. My dad and I found a nice bench near the back door of the resort to watch the storm. It really is amazing how fast a Central Florida day can go from perfectly sunny to torrential downpour, and that’s what happened today.

When the rain really started, my mom started worrying about our 5:10 reservation at ‘Ohana. She didn’t really want to leave the room and brave the terrible weather. I went downstairs and asked about any availability at Cape May Café, but the first seating was not until around 8:30, so we convinced her to put on a poncho and come outside.

The bus to the Magic Kingdom was crowded, despite the terrible conditions, but by the time we reached the park, the rain had stopped and the sun was starting to emerge from behind the gray clouds. It was so nice we decided to forgo the monorail and take the water launch to the Polynesian instead. I’ve always thought the boat transportation to and from the Magic Kingdom was underrated. I love the ferry to the Transportation and Ticket Center, and the launches to the resorts. When a boat is docking when we pass by, we always board.

It was already 5:30 when we arrived at the restaurant, but I knew we would still be seated. Shockingly, the line for the ‘Ohana podium was backed up all the way to Kona Café down the hall! I literally had to wait around 15 minutes just to check in for dinner. We visited the upstairs gift shops while waiting for our table, and about 15 minutes after receiving our buzzer, we sat down at a nice round table near the window overlooking the Seven Seas Lagoon and the Grand Floridian. It was a perfect table: somewhat secluded, but close enough to the action to still appreciate the fun atmosphere and a lovely view.

My family does not eat pork, so we were disappointed by the dumplings that replaced the fried wontons and dipping sauces, but otherwise, we were thoroughly pleased with the menu change. The shrimp is so much better on the skewer than in the bowl, and the sweet and sour sauce is a definite improvement over the harissa sauce, which no longer exists. I know everyone on the boards is lamenting the cheesy potatoes, and I agree they were delicious, but the lo mein dish absolutely fits the theme of the meal considerably better, and the noodles go very well with the meat. ‘Ohana is my entire family’s favorite restaurant in Disney, though I prefer Kona Café just slightly. Regardless, dinner was wonderful, and we left utterly stuffed, as usual. I especially love the grilled turkey and peanut sauce, which I would put on anything and be happy.

The weather had not completely cleared, so we hopped the monorail for the Magic Kingdom to complete our day’s tour of the park. The storm did not appear to have deterred many guests, as the park was still pretty crowded — perhaps even more crowded than earlier in the day. We started by walking over to Liberty Square and riding The Haunted Mansion. Nobody else in my family had experienced the attraction since the improvements made last year. I’m not sure anybody really noticed the changes, except perhaps the room with the creepy talking bride, even after I pointed them out. Nobody else in my clan pays attention to the details of dark rides like I do, and everybody from the boards does. Nevertheless, The Haunted Mansion is definitely one of my five-favorite attractions in the park, and the changes are great.

We walked clockwise into Fantasyland next for my mom’s favorite attraction in all of Disney: Mickey’s PhilharMagic. Though I don’t quite share her enthusiasm, it’s easy to understand why she loves it so much. It really puts the other three 3-D movies to shame with its ingenuity, creativity and heart. I’ve seen it probably 10 times or more by now, and I’m still wowed each time by certain scenes, especially when giant Ariel pops out of the screen and seems to fill your entire peripheral vision. It is truly extraordinary, and I hope other guests realize it is so much more than just another 3-D film like the ones they have seen at the other parks. This one is special.

Finally, we had those FASTPASSes for Space Mountain from earlier in the day, and we decided to use them before exiting. Curiously, or perhaps not so curiously, Elyssa came down with a fast-moving fully incapacitating stomach ache as we were approaching the building and could not ride. She’s used this trick before to avoid certain rides, but we were shocked she pulled it out for Space Mountain, which is historically one of her favorite rides in the entire park. Again, that short-term memory was acting up. No matter. The three men love Space Mountain. It’s my dad and Justin’s favorite ride in the Magic Kingdom, so they were definitely happiest as we were careening through space.

It was still not 9 p.m. yet when we reunited, and nobody was tired yet. Because we left the park at around 1 earlier in the day, and enjoyed around a four-hour break for resting and swimming, nobody was tired, and our feet were still in great shape. So we left the park and took the bus over to the Swan for a round of mini golf at Fantasia Gardens. My family has always loved mini golf, starting with our summers on Martha’s Vineayrd and Cape Cod, seemingly the mini golf capital of the universe, and Fantasia Gardens is probably the coolest course we have ever tried. I know it probably seems strange to spend precious Disney time playing mini golf, but it is a great way to relax and unwind at the end of the day, and it’s an easy way to have fun without hurting your feet or tire yourself out. The course was crowded, and we actually had to wait around 20 minutes before teeing off. I am proud to say I won the round, while my dad, who is usually the mini golf champion, came in dead last. He was not himself today, failing miserably both in Buzz Lightyear and mini golf. I took advantage.

Now around 10:30, we were starting to feel tired, and we wanted to be up early for Disney’s Hollywood Studios the next day, so we took the boat from the Swan back to the Beach Club. My mom and Elyssa fell asleep by 11 at the latest, and my dad and I stayed up a little longer watching baseball highlights on the SportsCenter.

Overall, it was a great day. Not too tiring, but not too easy, either. My feet, surprisingly, did not hurt at all, and I felt like it was a good balance of action-packed touring and genuine relaxing. Nobody was spent, and I thought the rest of my family did a decent job of avoiding its tendency of slipping into commando mode.

Sorry for the delay with this installment, but I hope you enjoy. Stay tuned for day three, when I ride the incredible and amazing Toy Story Mania! three times. The reviews are all true. This is already one of the best attractions in Walt Disney World.

[DisneyWhirled]

Jared, you write so well. Reading your trip reports are a complete pleasure. I will be posting mine soon, and yours blows mine away!

I must also confess that Main Street USA is my favorite part of the MK!!!!!!

...and we LOVED Toy Story Mania!!! It surpasses Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin ten fold!

[Jeff G]

Awesome trip report!

Your family was able to fit so much into one day I had to re-read to make sure this wasn't split between two or more days.

I'm glad to hear that the menu changes at 'Ohana were positive in your opinion. We've been going there many years and I liked it much better when the shrimp was on the skewers & noodles were a staple, not potatoes so I've had an optomistic outlook of the changes.

Keep the reports coming!

[TinkiTime1989]

I loved Mr. Toad, but I agree that Winnie the Pooh was a good replacement. Who doesn't like to bounce with Tigger?? And I, like Elyssa, am absolutely terrified of the final drop on Splash Mountain. As for your terrible score on Buzz, you could beat me. I'm lucky if I top 5,000. It sounds like you had a lot of fun. The more good things I hear about 'Ohana, the more I want to try it! Can't wait to read day 3.

[Sunshine1010]

LOOOOOVVEEEE the details of your report.

O'Hana ---- they got rid of the wonton chips?....and they serve dumplings now?

Lo mein noodles with every dinner now?

[Jared]

O'Hana ---- they got rid of the wonton chips?....and they serve dumplings now?

Lo mein noodles with every dinner now?

Exactly. Instead of the fried wontons, 'Ohana now serves pork dumplings, and noodles have replaced the scalloped potatoes.

[KylesMom]

Great report, Jared. It sounds like you had the perfect mix of parks, relaxation and GOOD FOOD today. Hey, I hope Elyssa doesn't chicken out through the whole trip!

[pogo]

Great day, Jared !

Thanks for sharing it with us !

[Tiggerlovr9000]

I am really enjoying your trip report. We were in the Magic Kindom on the 23rd too. During the storm we went into Pirates of the Caribbean along with most of the other people in Adventureland .Can;'t wait to read about the rest of your trip.

[JPL]

Great Report

[SBETigg]

Jared, thanks for your report. I'm always nodding along with most of what you say and I start to feel like I'm there, too. So fun!

I never understood the appeal of Mr. Toad. For me, it was overrated.

[MauiMouse]

Jared, I really felt I was walking along side you and your family during today.

I too like spending some time on Main Street USA, just taking in the atmosphere. Yes, the castle is waiting and so are the rides, but it's special to me.

I'm going to have to try that sandwich at Columbia Harbour House, I love hummus and its sounds really good, but I seem to always get the fish for some reason.

[tinkerbell04]

Jared, you have a great writing style, I am really enjoying reading the reports. It sounds like you are having a fantastic trip.

[dolphinmickey9170]

Jared, I love your writing style. Excellent reading!! I love the changes to O'Hana as well. I liked the potatoes, however, as you stated, the lo mein noodles DO fit better.

Thanks for taking us with you on your trip. Can't wait to read more.

[BluewaterBrad]

Great second day.

[Sunshine1010]

....I'm still kinda freaked that they got rid of the won tons and the potatoes

[BronxTigger]

Hooray! Another well-written report from Jared!

AND...I got TWO shout-outs in ONE report! Thanks!

I agree, my Google Maps aerial tour of the pool does NOT do the place justice! It really needs to be experienced to be truly understood.

And yes, I DID correctly guess your afternoon treat!

[wdwgrl377]

Jared! What a great day! I feel as if I am there with you and your family as I read about your day. You've got a great writing skill and it just draws you in!

I also love to just enjoy Main Street! Just taking it all in, listening to the music, having the smell from the bakery light up my smell senses. It's just awesome!

Can't wait to read more about your day at DHS! Thanks for sharing!

[2Epcot]

Jared, I have to echo what some others have said, a fantastic report that made me feel like I was right there on the trip with you.

I also enjoy the boats and ferry over to the Magic Kingdom we tend to do those most of the time. Can't wait to read what I ... I mean you did the next day.