Dizzy Dandelion: FL trip day 3: Magic Kingdom part 1

Monday, November 9

FL trip day 3: Magic Kingdom part 1

Jillian and I wore tiaras on our first day at the Magic Kingdom (MK). No one who knew us was surprised. Yes, it was confusing to wear them on a Monday and not a Tuesday, but we were at Disney World -- we made our own rules! Jillian deservedly received a TON of compliments on her homemade Rapunzel tiara. I'm always excited to wear my store-bought Cinderella version... even though Cinderella doesn't wear a tiara ;)

Tip #4: You can carry your own food into the parks

Jillian and I went to a grocery store our first night in town and picked up oatmeal, bananas, supplies for PBJs, apples, granola bars, and several other things so we could save money on breakfast, snacks, and other meals. I also carried a water bottle around. Security guards check your bags before you enter the parks, but unlike at movie theaters, they don't mind if you take your own food inside.

First thing, Jillian took me to the Carousel of Progress. She loves it because it's unique to Disney World, historic, and meets Walt's requirements of attractions being both entertaining and educational. I wasn't prepared for it and was like "What just happened?" Still, the song is catchy, and in getting there Jillian prepared to leave me all alone for a few hours while she ate breakfast with Andrew and a bunch of English characters like Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland.

So, what does a girl do when alone at Magic Kingdom?
ANYTHING SHE WANTS!

Haha!

Fortunately, MK -- sister-park to Disneyland -- is organized very similarly to Disneyland, so I didn't have much trouble getting around. Since I was already in Tomorrowland, I started there and rode everything I knew Jillian wasn't interested in. Then I moved over to Fantasyland. I experienced:

The Astro Orbiter. I was Queen of the World.
Stitch's Great Escape. Jillian was right, it was ridiculously lame.
Mad Tea Party. I was surprised and delighted they were indoors, and made friends with an attendant who assured me "We're all mad here" and steered me away from the fastest teacup.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. I waited 40 minutes, the longest of any line that day. Fortunately, there was plenty to do and play with while on line, and I was entertained by the kids and parents around me.
Prince Charming Carousel. I watched the Sword in the Stone ceremony from my horse, and later with the rest of the crowd. It was fun to see how pleased the preteen boy was, and cheer "All hail, Kevin! Protector of Fantasyland!"

Carouselfies are still a thing, right?

Jillian, Andrew, and Geoff found me and we proceeded to demolish my list:

I bought a Magic Band just for fun. Fortunately, I can use it next time I go to Disney World.
Or maybe loan it to someone else who goes?
I thought it looked pretty next to my FitBit. Thanks to sunscreen, I didn't have any tan lines. Winning!

Haunted Mansion
photos at Rapunzel's tower
Mickey's Philharmonic in 3D
Monster's Inc Laugh Floor

*Possibly my very favorite attraction at MK*
"If you're happy and you know it!"
Constant references to "That guy."
My face on the big screen with the caption: "Things catsup is made from cats."

Space Mountain... broke down just as we reached the front of the line, so they gave us a "move to the front of the line" pass for any ride we wanted
The People Mover. We went through while Space Mountain was down and got to see what it looks like in the light! (Spoiler: just like any other roller coaster.) Still cool.
Dumbo's Flying Elephants. A lot of selfies happened here!

Little Mermaid ride. This was when we started playing Heads Up in lines.
Big Thunder Mountain

We arrived at Pirates of the Caribbean just as the sun was going down. We thought it was lucky we all fit in the front row of our boat... and then we got to the first drop and got SOAKED! The water went in a wave and drenched Andrew and Geoff, and Jillian and I were wet through from our shorts to our shoes. The boys went home to change before dinner. Jillian and I wrung out our clothes in a bathroom and toughed it out. We met Kiershta at Space Mountain to use the passes we received when we were kicked out earlier in the day. Then we headed to DAK Lodge for dinner.

According to Kiershta, the way to do the buffett at BOMA is to eat dessert first, and then start with the other stuff. She was right. The dessert was AMAZING! Jillian and I treated Kiershta as a thank you for the free passes into the parks. She was more generous than we expected. She is so nice. It was fun to see her in her home territory.

Tip #5: Stay at the Resort hotels or really close to

Jillian and I stayed at the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Resort. It isn't one of the official Disney resorts, but it's affiliated with them and, as it turned out, less than a block away from Disney Springs. We took advantage of the shuttles to and from the parks, and spent a lot of time at the Springs. If we'd stayed at The Hawaiian or something, we would have been even closer to the parks themselves. Air BnB might have been less expensive, but it was worth the couple of extra bucks for the location.

My brother Aaron flew in that night and met me at our hotel. It was still fairly early, so I changed my pants and shoes (three hours later they were still damp from Pirates) and we headed to Disney Springs to get him some dinner and look around a little before bedtime. We had another big day ahead.