Magic in Magic Kingdom

Monday was a really fun day.  The kids had an early morning breakfast at Chef Mickey's, but Rod and I decided to play sleepy-heads and didn't do the breakfast.  The kids were planning a day of water play at Blizzard Beach (one of Disney's water parks) and they had a great day for it since the temperature hit 92.  Rod and I had a relaxing morning, and arrived at the Magic Kingdom at about 9:30.  I was a little concerned that it wouldn't be as much fun if we were by ourselves, but it didn't work out that way.  It was an absolutely great day, and luck was certainly with us as we didn't have to wait long for anything we decided to do. The fall decorations were just beautiful, and we enjoyed seeing all that we could see.

Upon entering the park, we headed down Mainstreet U.S.A., to the Mainstreet Bakery.  Here we got a ham, egg, and cheese croissant sandwich for breakfast, along with coffee for Rod and milk for me.  While we were eating, a group of performers following the horse-drawn carriage stopped near us to perform.  After enjoying their performance, we headed toward the Castle.  As luck would have it we arrived just as the Dream-Along with Mickey stage show was beginning.  It was a cute little show in which Maleficent tries to turn Mickey's dreams into nightmares, but as usual, good triumphs over evil.

After seeing this show that we knew nothing about prior to going to the Magic Kingdom, we decided to head toward Toontown.  Here I was able to see Alice again, and lucky enough to get the White Rabbit's autograph.  While in Toontown, we decided to ride the Walt Disney Railroad.  Here I had to transfer from my ECV to a wheelchair.  Since the ECV had to stay in Toontown, we rode the whole circle on the railroad.  It was a very enjoyable ride, and gave us a chance to get a "bird's-eye" view of the Magic Kingdom.

Upon leaving the train, we just started walking and found ourselves in front of Mickey's PhilharMagic.  I love this show, and was so glad to see that we could walk right in -- no waiting line.  PhilharMagic is a 3D movie that takes you through some of Disney's movies as Donald Duck chases the Mickey's Sorcerer's hat.  When we left this attraction, the wait had grown to 50 minutes.   As each attraction and ride exits you into a gift shop, we did a little shopping.

As we walked on, we discovered we were near Columbia Harbour House.  We had planned to eat lunch here, and so we went in.  This meal was a pleasant surprise.  It was considered a counter service meal on the Disney Dining Plan.  Rod and I both decided to get the shrimp meal, and boy what a meal it was!!  Each of us got 10 nice sized shrimp, french fries, coleslaw, a dessert, and a drink.  I wasn't able to eat all that we were given, so I left behind the fries and the dessert.  This will certainly be on our list of places to eat for the next time.

We walked on to Liberty Square so that we could ride the paddlewheel steamship.  I grew up along the Ohio River, and often saw the Delta Queen passing by.  I had always dreamed of cruising on the Queen, but since it was out of our price range, the Liberty Belle was a suitable substitute.  The 17 minute tour is narrated by "Mark Twain" and at times the captain requests a depth measurement.  It was a cool ride on a hot day, but on the bottom deck there weren't many places to sit.  Along the river, were Indian villages, hints of river pirates, and woodland animals.  While we were in Liberty Square, we decided to visit the Hall of Presidents.  The attraction begins with a film that highlights our country's origins and struggles.  Lincoln recites the Gettysburg Address.  Then the curtain rises on the Presidents, all 43 of them.  They are audio-animatronic figures that are very realistic.  George Washington and President Obama deliver speeches.

As we were exiting the Hall of Presidents, Cast Members were roping off the area for a parade.  This parade was honoring the volunteers who had  participated in the Give a Day, Get a Disney Day promotion.  I wasn't invited to join the parade, but I did participate in this promotion by making two quilts for Project Linus.  I was able to turn my certificate in for a special ear hat complete with trading pins.  Since I am a pin collector, I was pleased to add this special reward to my collection.

By the time the parade was over, we were baking and decided to do the Country Bear Jamboree.  It's not one of my favorite attractions, but there was no wait and it was air conditioned.  Rod and I had dinner at the Liberty Tree Tavern, and to be honest, we enjoyed our lunch there last year much more than this year's dinner.

We met up with the kids and all of us did the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor.  It's a funny show, with jokes by some of the monsters from the movie.  After the show, some of the group did Space Mountain, and then we proceeded to the Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station.  We had purchased tickets for the Wishes Dessert Party, which gave us preferred viewing for the Wishes fireworks show.  I had heard such good things about this dessert buffet, but I can't recommend it at all.  For some reason, our party of 8 was seated at the same size table as the party of 4 seated next to us.  Talk about feeling like a sardine!!  The desserts left a little to be desired.  We paid $27.00 per person for this, and don't feel we got our money's worth.  Mary and Pam complained to a Cast Member, who went and got the manager.  Pam even requested her money back because she told the manager that she felt she hadn't gotten what she paid for.  The manager attempted to make things better by bringing a smaller table to place next to our table.  It wasn't much of an effort, but at last he tried.  And quite honestly, the preferred viewing wasn't any better than the area where we watched the fireworks from last year.  So, it was a disappointing end to a magical day.