Saturday, April 30, 2016

WDW Trip 2016-Part 6:Hooray For Hollywood Studios

Introduction: Thank you for coming back to read this next entry in my Walt Disney World trip report. This post is the first of a two part recap of our Monday in Disney Hollywood Studios park. It covers from when we got to the park until our lunch at the Hollywood & Vine lunch.   

Spoiler Alert: Just want to let everyone know that in the section of this post that deals with the Disney Jr. character lunch, I've written something that may spoil things for some younger children who might read it. But it is necessary in order to share one of the more humorous moments of our trip. As a true Disney fan I never want to be the one to pull back the curtain and spoil the magic. Believer's discretion is advised. 

On our 2nd full day in Florida, my family and I had another day centered around Aria meeting even more of her favorite Disney characters. That would be the theme of the first half of our day in Disney Hollywood Studios with special lunch being the biggest event of the day.

The 2nd half of the day would consist of exploring the park together with a stop at one of the most popular attractions in all of Walt Disney World over in Pixar Place. 

We had a little more time at home in the morning because our first Fast Pass reservation time wasn't until after 11AM. 

Now Disney Hollywood Studios is currently a park "in transition". To make room for the announced Star Wars and Toy Story lands there have been closings of major areas of the park.  While many of the closings were pending at the time of our visit there were some noticeable changes. 

The first change we saw when we entered the park was at the end of Hollywood Boulevard. The park's long time icon, Mickey's Sorcerers Hat was gone. Changing the view from this...
...to this; a clear shot of the theater housing The Great Movie Ride. 

Although it was only announced and not yet done, the DHS change I will miss the most is the removal of it's current "official" park icon, The Earful Tower. The one on the right side of this picture. 

The new icon along with the new name of the park is set to be announced sometime in the future. 

Now back to our day. 

The walk from the parking lot was a lot longer than I expected but soon we were looking down at our guide map heading into the park. 

At the end of Hollywood Boulevard we turned right to the Animation Courtyard area of the park. Disney Junior-Live On Stage, was our first Fast Pass of the day. It's a show using puppets to tell a story that includes elements from all the shows that run on the Disney Junior channel. 

The Stage 5 theater is a large stage in front of an open floor area with no seats. Occupying the floor isn't a problem for the main element of the show's audiences, preschool children and their parents. But for those who can't easily get up and down, there are some benches along the back of the theater

I sat on a bench while the rest of my family sat on the floor; Paula, at Aria's insistence. 


In addition to the puppets the show included: music, dancing, and special effects. At various times during the show, bubbles, confetti, and cloth gold circles (aka doubloons from a treasure chest) fell from the ceiling. 

I really think that Disney's use of puppetry in their shows and attractions is one of my favorite things about their parks. 

As far as Disney Junior Live On Stage was concerned; it was a fun and entertaining 20 minute show; a quality Disney production. 

Our next Fast Pass time led us out of the Animation Courtyard so we browsed around the area where the hat used to be. We saw Chip & Dale out for a meet & greet. The line was too long to wait but at least we got a picture. 



While we were browsing at one of the merchandise carts, Aria spotted a plush of her favorite character from her favorite Disney movie, The Aristocats. It was pure white with a really long tail. 
Paula bought it for her. She carried it around with her until the day got too warm to hold it. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of her with Marie. 

Our next Fast Pass was for a show: For The First Time In Forever: A Frozen Sing-A-Long show.  

After about 15 minutes waiting for the theater doors to open they let us in. I led our group down the aisle to where the cast members directed us to an open row of seats. This was our view of the stage.  

I was glad that Aria and Brandi were sitting next to me. That didn't happen much during our times in the park. 

Here's a picture of us with Aria being silly. 

Aria and I listen to the Frozen soundtrack together quite often. While I really liked the show watching my granddaughter enjoy herself in this attraction gave me yet another one of those "sentimental moments." 

The show consisted of the two ambassadors of Arendelle, Eric and Aria, who were funny and very entertaining guiding the audience through the story and the songs of "Frozen". I loved their tongue-in-cheek and deprecating humor. If you haven't seen this show I highly recommend you do on your next visit; especially if you have little ones who love "Frozen"
 Here's a link to a You Tube video of the entire show: 
For The First Time In Forever: Frozen Sing-Along Video

The music, the characters, and the special effects (including the indoor "snowfall") helped make this show one of my favorite things we experienced during our entire visit. 

Upon existing the Hyperion Theater I walked through the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Plaza. I saw Walt Disney's likeness along with Bob Newhart and Betty White. But Bill Cosby was no where to be seen. He had been removed sometime in late 2015. 

With an hour or so until our reservation time at our special character lunch at the Hollywood and Vine restaurant our group split up and headed to opposite sides of the park. 

James and I headed over to ride Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. It was one of the DHS attractions on my "must do" list for this trip. 

Since Star Tours' refurbishment back in 2011 part of the "show" includes one of the passengers being singled out as "the rebel spy." 

While getting into my seat for the ride a young lady who was going to be sitting next to me helped me with my seat belt. As she did, I said to her "Thank you very much, I hope you are not the rebel spy." As it turned out she was. 

Walking back through the Echo Lake area James and I talked about the last time we were in the park together back in 2004. He said that he didn't really remember much about it. 

But as we stopped to get something to drink at a concession stand near the theater that houses the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular some small memories came back to him. It made me feel good to help him connect with the park a bit more.

While we were on the Star Speeder the "girls" were back at the Animation Courtyard for one-on-one meet and greets with Aria's favorite Disney Junior characters. 

Sophia The First...

and Doc McStuffins. 

She didn't get the chance to see Jake from The Neverland Pirates show because he was on a break. But she will have a memorable hug with him later. 

At 2PM it was time to check in at the restaurant where we made our lunch reservation.  

Our group reunited on the sun drenched waiting area of the Hollywood and Vine restaurant. It was a little warm. There was some shade but not much. I let Brandi and Paula sit under the shadow of the umbrella. We only waited a few minutes before our table was ready.

The Disney Junior character lunch, like the live stage show we saw earlier in the day, is aimed at preschool guests to give them an "up close" encounter with a variety of their favorite characters all in one setting. 

The logistics of the meal played out like this. Like any other buffet in America, once the family is seated, drinks are served and then they are directed to the buffet. 

The Disney Junior characters (Sophia, Doc McStuffins, Jake the Pirate and Handy Manny) cycle around the dinning room one at at time stopping at each table to say "hi", get hugs, and have pictures taken. I took mostly videos of their visit to our table. But here's a couple still shots: 


Every 15 minutes or so a cast member would call the characters to the open floor area near the center of the dinning room. She would then invite the kids to join them for a mini-dance party. Aria was all in for that. 

Let me take a few lines to explain my impression of the entire Hollywood & Vine experience. 

First of all, this was a buffet lunch priced at a 5 course dinner level (about $50 per adult after gratuity) mostly because you're paying for privilege of seeing the characters. These types of dinning experiences are all over Walt Disney World and they are pricey.  

The food wasn't bad but other than the chocolate covered strawberries made fresh from the fondue fountain, I couldn't tell you what I had to eat. But it's your typical buffet offerings from soup to dessert. For a more detailed review of this meal check out the online resources. 

The atmosphere was a bit chaotic. Of course you are dealing with mostly preschool children.They have a tendency to be a bit intense. But that's not what bothered me. I actually felt rushed. It was like the wait staff was under orders to: get'em in, get em fed, bring in the characters and then get'em out. Guess that's just the nature of the character meal. With my only other character meal having been more than 12 years earlier, I'd forgotten what it was like.  

But of course, giving Aria the opportunity to hang out with the Disney Jr. gang is what it was all about. Here are the videos of her meet & greets with Sophia the First, Doc McStuffins and Handy Manny. 





But it is the video of Aria's hugging Jake from the Neverland Pirates that will always be the best memory of our character lunch. 

Now we all know that in order to bring animated characters to life in parks, they have to have some "friends" on "the inside", if you get my drift. It's these inside friends that allow them to walk around the restaurant and greet the guests. The real magic is that the child only sees the character and is usually thrilled to meet them. But from time to time an over ambitious hugging of a character is a little uncomfortable for an "inside friend." That's what happen when Aria said "hello" to Jake. Take a look at what I call the "America's Funniest Home Videos" moment of our trip. 


Once our lunch was over we walked out into the bright Florida afternoon sun taking some time to enjoy the atmosphere around Echo Lake. 

Aria noticed some ducks swimming in the lake near her and decided she wanted to feed them. James gave her some gold fish crackers and she had some giggly fun with the ducks. 

We had some free time to explore the park before our Fast Pass time for, what would be the highlight of our day, our first ride on Toy Story Mania. 

James wanted to see the newly opened Star Wars Launch Bay area. So we headed back to the Animation Courtyard. 

The Star Wars Launch Bay is now in the building where the Magic of Animation tour used to be. Although I never got to experience that attraction I've been told that the transformation of the area into the guest's gateway into the galaxy far far away is quite impressive. 

If the goal of the announced "Star Wars Land" expansion at The Studios is to be an immersive experience Launch Bay is a very good start.

Before we even went into the building we encountered Storm Troopers patrolling the grounds, looking for members of the rebellion. 

  
A classic Star Wars scroll welcomes you...
...into the area filled with all kinds of characters and props from all 7 films including the very popular BB8. 

There was a Jawa walking around "scavenging" and interacting with guests who wanted to "trade" with him.  
There was an entire room full of places to play with Star Wars characters on the Disney Infinity game system. You could get in line to meet Chewbacca and Kylo ren but we didn't have time to wait. 

Pretty soon it was out of the Launch Bay and on to Pixar Place to get in the Fast Pass line for the Toy Story ride. 

Up Next: Midway Mania, Face painting, Another Aria and more. Keep checking back for the 2nd part of our day at Disney Hollywood Studios.  

Thursday, April 21, 2016

WDW Trip 2016-Part 5: Nighttime In The Kingdom

Blogger's Note: Part 5 continues with the evening portion of our first day in The Magic Kingdom. 

A tired crew of 5 got back to our vacation home for our mid-afternoon break from the park on Sunday March 6. While the wives and granddaughter relaxed, James and I went to the nearby Super Target to do some follow-up grocery shopping. 

When it came time to get ready for her return to the Magic Kingdom Aria was in her Princess Anna dress. I took this picture when she was proudly giving her Papa an exclusive fashion show. 
We ate dinner at a Golden Corral restaurant on West Bronson Parkway and then did some shopping at the souvenir shop right next door.  

At about 7 o'clock or so we headed back to experience the Magic Kingdom at night.  

The 3 things on our radar were: the nighttime parade, the castle projection show, and the fireworks. 

We walked through the tunnel into town square about 15 minutes before the Main Street Electrical parade was about to start. 

One of the more valuable tips I had learned just a week or so earlier was that up until the last few minutes before it started there was a good chance of getting a decent spot in Town Square to watch this parade. 

The reason being that most people think it starts in Frontierland and travels through the Kingdom ending in Town Square, just like the daytime parade. The Main Street Electrical Parade begins from the backstage area just near the barber shop and runs the designated route in the other direction.  

The parade started at 8 PM, just like the tip suggested we got a good spot to watch in front of the stairs to the train station despite having arrived at 7:45. Although it's not a very good picture here's an idea of our point of view. 
Here's a shot of Aria with her souvenir toy waiting for the parade to start. 

The parade made going back to The Kingdom worth the efort. It was amazingly bright and colorful. Each float was better than the last.
Although I didn't take these pictures here are some shots that closely represents our perspective. 

Even though they'd gone away for a while as I stood there watching Aria and enjoying the parade my "sentimental feelings" made a roaring comeback. This day was getting more and more memorable as it went on. 

Once the parade was over, we made our way down Main Street USA to the castle for the fireworks and it felt like everyone else did too. 

As we passed the Town Hall on right I noticed on my Touring Plans app on my phone that the wait to meet Mickey Mouse was only about 10-15 minutes. We decided to kill 2 birds with 1 stone and go do the ultimate Meet & Greet while the crowd was funneling down Main Street heading to the hub thinned out a bit. 

Aria seemed excited about the idea of meeting Mickey as she stood in line with her autograph book and pen. 
But that would change once we got to Magician Mickey's dressing room.  

Now let me explain, what I think, was the reason for Aria's uneasiness with Mickey. It was that he moved his mouth, blinked his eyes and talked. A bit overwhelming for a four year old to process. It spooked her a bit.  

Despite Mickey's efforts, the cast member's assurances and, even after both Brandi and James went in for a hug...

...my granddaughter wanted nothing to do with the "Big Cheese." 

Finally we decided that the only way to get a picture of Aria with Mickey was for all of us to get a picture with Mickey. It turned out to be one of my favorite group pictures of the trip. 

Our decision to linger in the Town Square area proved to be effective as the area was a lot easier to navigate once we emerged from meeting Mickey. With just a few minutes before the start of the castle projection show we headed down Main Street toward the hub. 

We got about halfway there when James decided that he wanted to go into the Starbucks to get a coffee. 

As we were waiting for him the "Celebrate The Magic" castle projection show started. Aria found a place to get a great view. 
It took James about 30 minutes to get his coffee. He missed the entire projection show and some of the fireworks. But he saw most of them. 

It was the first time that I watched Wishes from Main Street USA. Although it was very crowded it wasn't anywhere near as suffocating as it had been around the castle courtyard or near the Partner's statue during the fireworks at the Christmas Party. 

It gives you a great perspective and lets you see the whole "stage" they use to put on the show. 


Once the fireworks were over, Main Street became a stream of bi-directional migration. Half the guests were leaving the castle and hub area heading for the exit. The other half was continuing deeper into the park to gather at the castle for the next projection show, to get in line for a last minute ride on an attraction, do some last minute shopping or get something to eat.  

Since James missed the first projection show, they decided that they wanted to watch the next Celebrate The Magic show again, but closer to the castle. 

We walked with them to the end of Main Street and then took refuge at one of the tables outside the Plaza Restaurant. They went on to the castle where the watched the show and had this picture taken. 


We had all been together for most of the day so I was glad that the 3 of them could have a special family moment in front of the castle. 

Exhausted from such a busy day Paula and I were grateful for some time to sit and relax. My wife took advantage of the view of the castle and put her camera to work. 

She also took a plethora of pictures of the Celebrate The Magic show. Here's 5 of my favorite.  






Once we were reunited at the far end of Main Street we were caught up in yet another mass exodus. The park was officially closed and families were heading home. 

We decided to get out of the sea of humanity and browse the Emporium (a string of indoor shopping areas that encompasses the whole right side of Main Street until the crowd thinned out. 

As I was walking around I came across some dropped change on the floor in front of a pressed penny machine. It was enough to make a couple of pennies from the machine. 

I gave James the money and he pressed a couple more coins to add to Aria's pressed pennies book. He would make it his mission to collect as many of these transformed souvenirs for his daughter as he could during our time in The World. 

While walking around the shops, Paula & I decided that we were hungry. We made our way back thru the Emporium to Casey's Corner hot dog shop. 

We placed an order for a drink and a serving of mini-corn dogs. They were very good. Probably one of if not the best quick service food we had during our entire trip. 


By the time we were done with our food, the Conners had made their way to the front of the park. They texted to let us know that they were waiting for us and were ready to go. 

We made our way to the front of the park and said good night to the Magic Kingdom. After a few minutes of trying get to get both the Conners and the Havens onto the ramp to the same monorail route, we were on the platform waiting to take go back to the TTC. 

While waiting we looked out over the Seven Seas Lagoon and saw the Electrical Water Pageant float by. It was the first time we'd ever seen it. 




I thought the patriotic display was pretty cool. 

Once we were back at the TTC there was the long walk back to the car left in our day. 

As I slowly walked away from the "most magical place on earth" I mentally reviewed our first day. What wonderful memories. We were all very tired but it was the good kind of tired. 

I looked forward to getting back to the vacation home, taking off my shoes, putting up my feet and get a good night sleep. 

Our little princess totally agreed with me as shortly after we got back from the our night at the Magic Kingdom she took her own private visit to dreamland. 
Our plans for the next day didn't require such an early start but it promised to be just as exciting for my granddaughter. We would be heading for Disney's Hollywood Studios where she would meet and have lunch with even more of her favorite characters. 

Coming next in Part 6: Sophia, Sing-Along, Star Wars, and more








Monday, April 18, 2016

WDW Trip 2016-Part 4: A Magical Morning At The Kingdom

Welcome back to the WDW Trip 2016 post series. The first 3 installments were the introduction to our vacation now it's time to share the memories made at the Parks. It's one of the experiences on my life "to do " list: Seeing Walt Disney World through the eyes of my granddaughter. 

Our morning started out with a breakfast of sausage and eggs at the house. We each had on matching grey shirts with our individual names under Mickey or Minnie head on the front. Here's the kids wearing theirs. 


After a 20 minute drive to the ticket and transportation center we parked in the 3rd row of the lot. Our plan to be at the front gate of the Magic Kingdom to see the opening ceremony was running close but on time.

I was already running on adrenaline because I wanted this day to be a the memorable one. I had 4 other people counting on my plan to work. I had a moment of total panic when I thought I had forgotten to bring our park tickets back at the house. But I had simply forgotten exactly where I had put them in my backpack. 

Now, let me take a few words to try and explain something that started happening to me on the walk to the TTC and kept repeating at random times throughout the day while in the park. 

It was a physical manifestation of an overwhelming emotional appreciation of special surreal moments. I guess you could say I was "feeling the magic". Although I didn't, actually shed any "happy tears", the overflow of all those feelings sure did blur my eyesight quite often. 

 I just wanted to let you know what I was feeling most of the day. Whenever these special moments happened I did my best to hide them from everyone but my wife. She lovingly assured me that it was perfectly okay to be a "sentimental fool."

We rode the monorail to the front of the Magic Kingdom. It was about 20 minutes before the scheduled park opening. There was a very large crowd bottle necked at both the bag check and the entrance.  

As we were waiting to scan our tickets the opening show at the train station started 15 minutes early than expected. This was something I really wanted Aria to see. Luckily James and Brandi were able to make it through the gate ahead of us and get into the area in front of the train station to see it. 

James put Aria up on his shoulders so she could see the Disney characters arriving on the WDW Railroad train to say "good morning." Even though I was distracted by the process of authentication to get through the gate, I watched my granddaughter on my son's shoulders; sentimental moment. 

Paula & I were finally able to join our kids to watch the last few moments of the opening ceremony. I headed over to the Guest Relations window to get a "first visit" button for both Aria & Brandi. 

Then came one of my personal favorite moments of a day at the Magic Kingdom: the walk through the tunnel into Town Square. I've made that short trek only a few times but it is still one of life's most awesome vacation "reveals". 



After couple of quick stops in Town Square, which included purchasing an autograph book for Aria and posing for a group pic, we headed down Main Street USA and straight for Cinderella's castle, the gateway to Fantasyland. First stop, Princess Fairytale Hall. 

Although the Frozen princesses were at the top of the list Aria's first Magic Kingdom meet & greet was Cinderella and Rapunzel. 
As you might be able to tell from the expression on her face, Aria wasn't exactly thrilled by Rapunzel. But look at the smile with Cinderella.    

Our group had split up prior to getting to Fairytale Hall. So James and I didn't go in to see the first two princesses. Instead we waited in the seating area of The Friar's Nook restaurant just to the right of the queue line.  


But we all got in line to see the Frozen sisters. Getting there early in the day sure paid off. We only waited about 10-15 minutes. And it sure was worth it. She liked Anna...


But really had fun with Elsa.

After we had M&G with the princesses it was time to concentrate on our Fastpass Plus reservations. 

We had some time before our first FP+ window started and Aria wanted to ride Prince Charming's Carousel. Nana & Papa rode with her. It was another very sentimental moment for me. 
  
Soon it was time to head on over to "Enchanted Tales With Belle". We were a bit early for our FP+ time but the cast member didn't make us wait. 

Paula and I went thru this attraction back in December when we were at Mickey's Christmas party. We knew that it was an abbreviated reenactment of the Beauty & The Beast story using guests, mostly children, to act out the parts.  

Little did we know that on this, our second visit, 3 of members of our family would participate. Brandi and I were chosen to be a guards. 

Aria was chosen to play "Maurice", Belle's father he was imprisoned by the Beast. 
I'm not too sure she understood what exactly she was supposed to do for her part but she was a trooper. As a reward she got a souvenir bookmark and her picture taken with Belle. 
In the background of this picture is my favorite audioanimatronic in all the Magic Kingdom: Lumieier the Candlestick. 

Next on the Fast Pass plan was a stop in Ariel's Grotto so Aria could meet the Little Mermaid.


 My granddaughter must have been impressed because 6 weeks later the theme of her 4th birthday party was "Under The Sea". She also decided after our Disney visit that if the new baby was a girl she wanted to name her, Ariel. 

After our time in the grotto we went right next door to the Under The Sea-Journey of The Little Mermaid attraction. It was the second time Paula and I had been on it but it was the first time for Aria, Brandi, & James. Our clam shells stopped a couple of times during the ride. Once in front of the gigantic Ursula audio animatronic. Something Aria didn't like very much.  

With all our FP+ attractions taken care of we were free to try and do some of the other "must do" things in our plan. 

But James & Brandi wanted to take some time to look around at some of the Fantasyland gift & souvenirs shops. So Paula and I went off on our own for a while. 

 I consulted the Touring Plans  Lines app on my phone to see what our wait would be for some of the attractions I wanted to visit. Although I had been looking at the app occasionally all morning it was at this point that it became a useful tool. I saw that "It's A Small World" had a less than 15 minute wait. 

Ever since we rode it for the first time back in December, "Small World" has been my favorite Magic Kingdom attraction. It was on my personal "Must Do" list this trip. 

During our ride Paula took a lot of pictures. This is my favorite. 

After our Small World ride we were hungry. The kids met us at Pinocchio's Village Haus for lunch. It was rather busy and crowded but we all go the chance to rest a bit and refuel.

After lunch it was time to head on over to the Storybook Circus area of New Fantasyland for some more character meet & greets. Paula, Brandi and Aria headed that way while I took James back toward the Beast's Castle area. I wanted him to see Gaston's tavern. I thought he might like the way it was decorated with an over the top antler's theme. 

I had ordered a bottle of water for James and a Lafou's Brew (the specialty drink that's Disney's answer to Universal's Harry Potter butter beer) for me. I got it in a souvenir plastic mug. It was about $10 but I had to try it. 

We had just sat down to enjoy the our beverages and our surroundings when James got a call from Brandi. He had Aria's autograph book in the backpack he was carrying. 

He left to join them. I stayed to try and at least sample this expensive drink purchase. But soon after he left I followed behind him. 

I eventually did get the chance to try the drink. It was a very very sweet apple juice type drink. I didn't like it at all. I ended up throwing half of the drink and the plastic cup away. Lesson learned. 

Once I got to Storybook Circus, I had a little difficulty finding them but eventually I caught up with my family inside Pete's Silly Sideshow tent. It's a circus meet and greet for 4 of the Fab 5 Disney characters. 

Ironically, by the time I got into the tent and met up with everyone, Aria had already met up with Goofy. Unlike her Papa, I don't think she was all that crazy about him. Just look at her body language. 
And if you think she was a bit apprehensive with my favorite guy, she was down right reluctant when she came to the next character. 

Now when watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on TV at home, Donald is one of Aria's favorites. But the setting that the duck was in at Pete's sideshow was rather scary for her.

He was cast as a snake charmer with some large snake props too close for her comfort. Brandi had to come along to assure her it was okay. She got her picture taken but didn't linger any longer than she had to. 


Our visit with fortune teller Daisy was a lot better. 
But the best meet & greet was saved for last. 

This was a week long vacation but the moment that would define what the whole trip was all about was going to happen on our first day in the park. 

We only stood in line waiting to see Minnie Mouse for about 5 minutes. When it came time for Aria to go meet her very favorite Disney character she beckoned her Nana go along with her.  

The reason for this was to show Minnie her Nana's fingernails. They were painted in a pattern especially for our WDW trip. 

Here's the video I shot of Aria's magical minutes with Minnie Mouse. 

Talk about emotional moments. This was the ultimate for me that day. I have never seen my granddaughter happier than she was standing beside her pal Minnie. This picture is the best. 


 Because every attraction in "The World" ends in a gift shop we left the sideshow area and entered Big Top Souvenirs. We looked around and both Paula and I found silly hats we liked. 


Of course we didn't buy them. 

With a very busy, productive, and enjoyable morning now turning into early afternoon there was one more attraction to visit before taking our planned midday break. 

Aria wanted to get on the Dumbo ride. The cast member at the entrance to the stand-by queue told us that it was a 20 minute wait. All of us except for James walked through the queue. Brandi was going to get on the ride with Aria, who wanted Paula to come with her through the queue. I went along just to see the interactive elements in the new covered waiting area. 

We were given a buzzer similar to what you get at a restaurant, so we could be notified when it was time for Aria to ride. 

Once inside the shaded air-conditioned waiting area both Brandi and I found a place to sit and relax. Aria went to play on the circus themed playground equipment while Paula watched over her. 

It only took about 10 minutes for our buzzer to go off. Paula and I left the waiting area while Brandi and Aria got into the line to get on Dumbo. 

We stood outside and watched them go around and round for about 90 seconds. 

When we were done with the flying elephant ride it was time to head to the Fantasyland train station to get on the Walt Disney World Railroad.  

Our wait to get aboard wasn't very long. It was fun to see Aria, who loves trains, ride for the first time. 

We exited the park, caught the monorail returning to the TTC and headed back to our vacation home in Kissimmee for an afternoon nap. 

Our first morning in the Magic Kingdom was over. But what a great time we had. We were all tired but looked forward to going back to experience the park at night. 


Coming Up Next in Part 5: An evening on Main Street USA