Thursday, November 29th
We were starting to feel the accumulated effects of the late nights, early mornings, and tons of walking when we rolled out of bed that morning. But we had another early morning Rope Drop to do if we hoped to ride Seven Dwarfs without waiting half the morning. This was the make-up day after the disaster on Tuesday, and fortunately it just happened to dovetail with our evening dinner reservation at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, which meant we didn’t need to cancel anything. However, because I hadn’t written down these new Fastpasses, and the Disney app doesn’t have a history option, I can’t recall the specific times (they weren’t exactly the same as our original day). The times I list are rough estimates.
It was still very chilly that morning when we set out, although the temps were expected to rise about 20 degrees by mid-afternoon to the high 60s. The main entrance to the Magic Kingdom was already open when we arrived, although the bridge entrances to the lands were still closed. We quickly made our way to the bridge that led to Fantasyland and joined the small crowd of folks waiting there.
It was here that we found another Photopass photographer, who was not only super friendly, but excellent at his craft. Just look at these! They’re the best pics I have from either of my trips, and they’re being framed right now.
Of course we got Tinkerbell, one of Mom's Top Three Favorites (the others being Bambi and Jiminy Cricket).
From that spot, we got to watch the opening show in front of Cinderella’s Castle.
Everyone present was hoping to get in line for Seven Dwarfs, so the cast members just lead all of us over as soon as the rope dropped. We moved as a herd to the attraction and then walked nearly halfway around the entire attraction before reaching the end of the line. Even getting there so early, the line was already 70 minutes, but it was that or skip the ride completely since it would only get longer as the day went on (typically 140 minutes!).
The wait time for Seven Dwarfs was dead on at 70 minutes, I’ll give them that. We felt every inch. I was keeping an eye on the time since our first Fastpass, for Jungle Cruise, started around 10:45 am. Mom had some fun with some of the interactive stuff in line as we approached the boarding area, while I prefer not to touch that stuff—I made sure she doused herself with antibacterial gel afterward.
This is still one of my Top Five rides in all of Disney World (touch choice, but my favorite is probably still Expedition Everest). Sadly, Mom didn’t enjoy this one as much. She said that she thinks the fact that the cars rocks as they went into the banks scrunched her in a weird way and hurt her back. I feel bad that she hurt, and was very relieved that it wasn’t lasting—just in the moment.
Sadly I think this is the moment Mom stopped enjoying the ride.
We were finished by around 10:15 and had a little wiggle room, so I decided we could fit in Under the Sea -- Little Mermaid quick since the wait time was only 15 minutes—and really not even that since we pretty much just walked on, it’s just that you have to walk a mile of zig-zagging! It’s a sweet and rather short dark ride that takes you past animatronic scenes from the film, accompanied by the music, of course. No thrills, really, other than when you “go under the sea” by turning backwards and then dropping down a track. It’s one of my favorite Disney films, though, so it’s always a Must Do for me.
After that, we still had time so we stopped at Gaston’s Tavern to pick up a couple of LeFou's Brew (Frozen Apple Juice with a hint of Toasted Marshmallow and topped with All-Natural Passion Fruit-Mango Foam)—it was starting to warm up just enough to be comfortable with a frozen drink. Still delicious!
We started making our way across the park as was passing by this little garden area in the Colonial America area when I spotted Mary Poppins around some bushes and realized there was a meet and greet going on, tucked away in the garden. We rushed over to get in line. When we reached her, they told me that they didn’t have an actual Photopass photographer at the moment so the handler had to use my iPhone, which I found odd. Still, glad we just stumbled across this one, although I think I like the Mary Poppins last year more—she was more talkative.
When we were finished, I looked at the time and realized that we would now have to hurry to make our Fastpass for the Jungle Cruise in time. We quick-stepped the rest of the way there and were still about 5 minutes late but they let us in without a problem.
While we were boarding, I had the only unpleasant experience due to rude people on the entire trip—this woman cut me off and jumped onto the boat ahead of me, and then realized that her family was still back behind me and Mom, who had already boarded by this point, and then she wanted to try to get back to them but it’s very cramped quarters on the boat and we had to stand on the seats to let her get around. It was completely obnoxious and delayed the cast members, etc. Then she had the nerve to give ME a dirty look. Obnoxious.
Anyway, we had fun on the ride, and I was very surprised to see just how much they customized everything on this attraction for Christmas, right down to the bad puns.
After the cruise, we had time again before our next Fastpass on Haunted Mansion, so we took advantage of proximity to do the Enchanted Tiki Room. We made it just in time to get in, although we missed the intro show outside the room. This was another family favorite—or at least it was for Mom and me, so we sang along and really enjoyed it. Sadly, several kids didn’t and one screamed so badly that a cast member had to help escort the embarrassed parents out. It’s bad when the screams overpower the surrounding concert.
After that, we saw that the wait time for Pirates was only 15 minutes, so we decided to ride again and this time not get a wet seat. It’s cool to ride more than once and catch the details you missed on the first run.
Afterward, I figured it would be a good time to break and have a small lunch, so we tried out the cheeseburger eggrolls from a food cart nearby. They weren’t great, but they weren’t bad, either—they were greasy and tasted like a cheeseburger, and you can’t really ask for more.
It was getting close to our Fastpass time for Haunted Mansion, so we started walking up back up in that direction, just enjoying the scenery and warming weather. Along the way, we stumbled across this cute Muppet's Moments in History show.
We arrived on time and rode Haunted Mansion, yet another favorite from our past family trips. I remember my brother and I doing this one multiple times in a row because there usually wasn’t much of a line right after the fireworks. We had fun and then enjoyed mugging for the Photopass outside, though he was positioned so that we were facing into the sun, thus we're squinting in most of the pics.
By this point, it was around 1:00 pm and I suggested we start working our way toward the exit, since we still wanted to travel over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge before sunset to enjoy the grounds and see the animals, etc.
Along the way, we did some more shopping. Yet another item on my Want List was a cool pair of sunglass frames, if I could find any. I wear prescription sunglasses, so I’m used to paying a lot more than most folks do (I’m jealous!), and I’m tired of either needing to run to my car to get them, or forgetting them in the house when I get in my car, so I’d decided months before that I wanted a second pair. I’d seen in a DIS article about RayBand Micky Mouse themed frames and decided that might be what I wanted, but needed to see them in person since they weren’t cheap. I just assumed I’d look for them whenever we got over to Disney Springs, so I was very pleasantly surprise to discover a Sunglass Hut shop right there in the middle of Adventureland! And sure enough, they had the exact frame on-hand. I love them! And this is how I spent that $175 I got from enduring that agonizing time share presentation (and then some). I was very happy!
We eventually reached Main Street once more and I asked Mom if she wanted to head out at that point or do more shopping and wait for the Festival of Fantasy Parade that wasn’t starting until 2:00 pm. She loves parades, so it was a silly question. I’ll admit that I’m not that big into parades (I’m used to marching in them, so I’m a bit bored standing on the sidelines), and didn’t watch any on my last trip, but since this trip was for the both of us, I agreed. We spent a bit more time shopping, and then I realized that people were already staking out spots on the curb and they were starting to clear the street, so we wrapped up quick and then managed to grab good spots on the curb to sit and give our feet a break.
Magic Moment: Actually, more like a Magic Hour! I’m SOOO glad I listened to Mom and we stayed for the parade. Well, the parade itself was okay and had some cool floats—but it was the photographers patrolling up and down the street that were fantastic and so entertaining, creating magic everywhere they went.
Mom and I were wearing Our Birthday buttons, and this drew several photographers to us—we got a lot of attention since we were celebrating together.
Here are some videos of more of the antics going on in the street. Honestly, this was some of the most fun I had on the trip, watching all the excitement as the anticipation grew. Which was a good thing because although the parade technically started at 2 pm, it hadn’t occurred to me that it would take so long for them to travel from where it started to where we were.
At the end of the following video, you'll see one of these photographers approach us and ask Mom to join him in the middle of the street. The rest is pure magic!
Doesn’t she look like she owns the place?! “Hi, make yourself at home. Clean up after yourself.”
He had her pose like this and then called it “the perfect selfie.”
Occasionally a band like this would march past to remind folks that something was coming.
We did a little bit more of browsing through a couple of the small shops on the opposite side of the street on the way out. Then I asked Mom if she was up for waiting in one last line, to meet Tinkerbell (near the exit). She absolutely was, so we headed inside and got into line. It moved fairly fast and we were done within about 15 minutes. Unfortunately, I wasn’t satisfied with the Photopass results and the ones from my iPhone were better (which is exactly why I do both).
Afterward, with sadness, we said goodbye to the Magic Kingdom. I'm not sure if/when I'll be making it back. I do hope to visit again some day, but it's so expensive that it prevents me from traveling anywhere else, and it's becoming so crowded now that there aren't any "slow periods" anymore. I find the crowds exhausting on a mental level, which makes it harder for me to enjoy the parks. Maybe in a few years after the initial craziness of Galaxy's Edge (the pending Star Wars land) dies down.
We started the long walk to the bus stop that would take us to the Animal Kingdom Resort. It was a long ride, but we were grateful to be off our feet for a while.
We arrived at the resort around 3:45 pm and headed through the main lobby, checking out the amazing Christmas tree inside, and then out the back into the animal enclosure area.
When you see commercials advertising people watching wild African animals from their resort room balcony, they aren’t kidding! This place is definitely on my Bucket List. My ideal stay would be a Rest Day when I could just sit out on my balcony with a good book, a bottle of wine, and my binoculars.
We stayed outside, wandering the short trails and talking with a young cast member/docent from Malawi who was a pleasure to speak with. He was part of the student intern program Disney uses, and he was really enjoying his job. He talked with us for a long time, telling us all about the different animals, etc. I really wish I’d thought to snap his picture and get his name so I could send feedback, but it just didn’t occur to me at the time because I was in the moment. Oh well…
As the sun began to set, we moved inside, checked out the gift shop for a while, and then collapsed onto seats in the lobby to relax and wait for our reservation, which was still a couple hours away at 6:40 pm.
Observation: Both of us wondered at just how tall the furniture designers for Disney are, because not a single chair or couch in that lobby was comfortable—they were all so long in the seat that we looked like children with our feet sticking out if we sat all the way back. The cushions were also weird and uncomfortable. Were they made for giants?!
Eventually we spotted a couple of normal chair near the circular fireplace open up and swooped in to grab them—they were much more comfy! Then I decided hit the Victoria Falls lounge to buy a drink, settling on was is probably the most expensive glass of wine I’ve ever bought at around $16 a glass. I wish I’d take a picture of the name because it was darned good! I took it back to the fireplace and we chatted with a nearby couple, just enjoying the quiet and beautiful atmosphere after the hectic and crowded park.
At 6:40 pm we went down to check in and were seated immediately. Boma is an African and Indian fusion buffet that is regularly ranks as one of the best restaurants on Disney property, so this was a real treat. Not remotely cheap—including another drink for me, plus tip, the total was $136. But this is exactly why I save all the bonus gift cards I get at work—so that I can treat myself without guilt. I had accumulated nearly $1k of those cards for the sole purpose of food and drinks on this trip.
Here's an overhead shot of the Boma buffet below. That's just the dessert section.
The food was excellent. I can’t eat large portions and so I almost never do buffets, so it was very challenging to sample everything and not regret it later. But there was so many cool and interesting things to try. Mom’s not typically very adventurous in the food department, so I was proud of her for stepping outside her comfort zone. One of the things we tried and totally fell in love with was Mulligatawny, which was new to both of us. I could eat a pot of that on a cold winter day! Mom tried the roasted salmon while I tried the slow-roasted pork ribs, plus lots of different sides. It was all excellent. Again, it didn’t occur to me at the time to snap a picture of my main plate, but I did remember to take one of the few dessert bites I decided to try. There was so much to choose from! The best on the plate was definitely their signature dessert, the Zebra Dome (a chocolate mousse inside).
During the meal, we talked a while with the family next to us—they were new to Disney in general, and were staying at the resort. The young boy next to me (maybe around 10?) was very bright and curious and asked me all sorts of questions about the parks, absorbing all the tips and advice I could offer him. I could appreciate that because I’m the same way—I love hearing all the trivia and tips, etc.
Near the end, our server returned with a couple of special birthday treats, complete with lit candles! We were so full by that point that she kindly offered a take-out box so we could bring them back to our hotel. I thought they were cupcakes, but it turned out they were a type of brownie and became part of our breakfast the next morning. And yeah, I think Mom was starting to fade--we were both pretty tired by this point.
It was after 8:00 pm when we finally headed out and summoned a Lyft to take us back to our hotel. It was another long, exhausting day but full of great moments I’ll never forget, topped off with an excellent meal. You can’t ask for better than that.