Originally Posted By RoadTrip We visited the MK twice, the first time we had my mother with us. It is without a doubt her favorite park. It is pretty neat watching a 77 year old woman have an almost childlike response to the MK. I have never seen her as happy as the two times we’ve taken her to the Magic Kingdom. I can’t say I did a quality inspection tour up to the standards of TDLfan, but for the first time I tried to pay attention to maintenance issues. It seemed to me that the MK was looking very good. The paint on queue railings seems to get worn first, and in almost all instances I found the paint in good shape. At the Tiki Room pre-show the lower rail had recently been repainted but the upper rail still needed work. It was apparent that maintenance was in progress. Between our two visits we saw more MK attractions this time than during any other WDW trip. Some random thoughts on some of the attractions… Pirates -- One of my favorite attractions, but it really could use some change. The sooner they get Jack Sparrow in there the better. Tiki Room – I don’t mind the new show like some folks do, but does it really have to be so LOUD?? Haunted Mansion – I had started to take this attraction for granted. This time I really paid attention to it and came away with a new sense of just how good it actually is. I know this is sacrilege, but I would have to rate it above Pirates. Small World – The recent renovations really have IASM looking good. The new Disneyland inspired entrance to the ride is a huge improvement over what was there before. And they finally painted the ceiling!!! The ceiling had become so shabby in recent years that I couldn’t believe Disney would tolerate it. Peter Pan – My sentimental favorite. There is something about that 2-1/2 minute flight with very low-tech effects that produces some of the best magic WDW has to offer. Pooh – What can I say? I like it… especially the room with the Heffalumps and Woozles (it reminds me of my college days…). Pooh Playground – Vbdad will hate me, but kids seemed to be really enjoying it. It’s better than nothing, which is what it had been for he past 10 years or so. Mickey’s Philharmagic – My mother just adores this attraction. I think it is Disney’s best 3-D film. Carousel of Progress – IT WAS OPEN!!! I first saw the COP at the 64-65 New York World’s Fair… it has enormous sentimental value for me. I hope they never close it. Stitch’s Great Escape – Overall it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Some of the effects seem to have been enhanced quite a bit since my visit when it first opened. The chili-dog thing is absolutely disgusting though. When did Disney start thinking fart jokes were funny? Buzz Lightyear – My skill on this attraction seems to be going backwards. They should have special targets for us folks nearing senior citizen-hood. You know… great big ones that don’t move and score 100,000 points. Mickey and Minnie’s homes at Toontown – We hadn’t gone through those for probably 5-10- years. It really was enjoyable… having a rug-rat with you is not at all necessary to enjoy the attraction. I think part of the reason we enjoyed the MK so much this year is that we didn’t try to do it all at once. We spent about 5 hours there on each visit and that allowed us to see everything we wanted to see. It also allowed my wife to sleep late every morning which is a VERY IMPORTANT component to a happy and stress-free WDW vacation. ;-)
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo "Haunted Mansion – I had started to take this attraction for granted. This time I really paid attention to it and came away with a new sense of just how good it actually is. I know this is sacrilege, but I would have to rate it above Pirates." At MK I would totally agree. at DLP they are on par, and at DL, I give PotC the edge - by a hair.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo "Carousel of Progress – IT WAS OPEN!!! I first saw the COP at the 64-65 New York World’s Fair… it has enormous sentimental value for me. I hope they never close it." That's great Trippy! Glad you could enjoy it, it's my fav attraction at the MK and I really do hope it is open when we go just after Thanksgiving. I'm enjoying your reports so far, can't wait to hear more.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad <<<I like it… especially the room with the Heffalumps and Woozles (it reminds me of my college days…). >>> ROFL !!! No wonder danyoung calls you Trippy! JK
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<Ditto what Dave said - give us more! >> I will try to finish the rest of the over the next couple of days. There had not been much response so I figured people weren't very interested in the non-narrative reports I was posting. I knew mine were nowhere nearly as interesting as some I've seen here, so I had kind of decided to just leave Trip Reports to the pros. To provide something in the meantime, I am posting a couple of reports from our trip during October, 1998. Back then I had more ambition and time to write detailed reports. I hope you enjoy them, even if they are old. ********** Day Six - Thursday, October 16. This is the second "Day Off" of our vacation - a day when we skip the theme parks and take some time to enjoy our resort and explore the rest of "The World". We sleep in this morning and then head over to the Colonel's Cotton Mill for a late breakfast. We decide we will take the "scenic route" since our day off gives us the luxury of time. We walk from Oak Manor past Magnolia Terrace and then take the bridge across the Sassagoula river to Ol' Man Island. This, in our opinion, is the loveliest walk at Dixie Landings. With the morning sun at our backs, the beautiful landscaping of the resort almost glows in the soft yellow light. We watch the little geckos run about the plantings as we wind our way around Ol' Man Island. We soon come to another bridge which will brings us to the main buildings of The Landings. The Dixie Marina is to our left, its boats bobbing gently in the glistening water; the Colonel's Cotton Mill (and our breakfast) is to our right. Our family loves the variety of items available at the Cotton Mill. My wife and daughter "eat light" with some selections from the "Riverside Market and Deli". I, on the other hand, go for a more traditional breakfast of eggs, bacon, biscuit and fried potatoes from the "Blue Bayou". If you compared our waistlines, you could probably guess who ate what without my saying. We will be getting together today with my brother and his family who live in Orlando. After meeting them at our room, we head down to the Dixie Levee and rent a Surrey Bike for an excursion down to Port Orleans. There are six of us -- four adults and two teenage girls. The Surrey Bike is really built for four adults, with space for the possible addition of two young children. Nevertheless, the six of us manage to climb aboard and we are on our way to Port Orleans. Going downhill is great fun, going uphill is less so. We find that the drawback to our arrangement is not crowding, but four people having to pedal for six as we negotiate those hills. We are thankful it is not a real hot day, and arrive at Port Orleans no worse for the wear. Here we again find that our plan could have used a little work. As we get off the bike, planning to check out the Port Orleans gift shop, we are informed that the bike cannot be left unattended. That's OK, our daughter and her cousin volunteer to stay with the bike while we check out P.O. Oops, I guess it's not OK, we are told that someone OVER eighteen must stay with the bike. We realize we will need to visit Port Orleans some other time, and climb back on the bike for the trip back to Dixie. The Surrey bike WAS fun, and I'm sure that there was fine print in the rental agreement somewhere telling us what we could and could not do with the bike. It was just somewhat disappointing do discover that the bike was really just a "ride", and could not be used as "transportation". We all decide to go for a quick swim in the "quiet pool" next to our building, then head over to Downtown Disney to check out the new West Side. We wander about a little before deciding to settle at the House of Blues. We sit on a beautiful patio in the back that overlooks the Buena Vista Lagoon. Our "day off" is once again very full of activity. We don't have time for more than one margarita and some brief conversation before it is time for my wife, daughter and myself to catch the bus over to the Polynesian Resort for our dinner reservation at 'Ohana. My brother and his family will be dining at the House of Blues; we promise to meet them back there later in the evening. 'Ohana is our family's very favorite restaurant at WDW. The atmosphere is great, the show is fun, and the food just keeps on coming. The restaurant offers skewers of grilled Chicken, Turkey, Shrimp, Salmon, Pork Ribs, and Steak on an all-you-care-to-eat basis. The price is also quite reasonable considering all you get and the quality of the food. We spent less than $40 per person including a bottle of wine and the tip. Now it's time to head back to the West Side and rejoin my brother and his family. We're back on the House of Blues patio again and it is especially beautiful at night. The tree branches overhead are covered with thousands of tiny blue lights, and we look across the Buena Vista Lagoon to the multi-hued glow of Pleasure Island and the Marketplace. Every once and awhile the "volcano" at the Rainforest Café erupts in the distance. My daughter and her cousin go off to explore the West Side on their own (where else but WDW would you feel safe with that?). We all catch up on family news, and review the highlights of our vacation. We talk about MGM, the Prime Time Cafe, our shopping spree at the Marketplace, and our "love affair" with Dixie Landings. We soon arrive at that state of mind that can only be described as Disney-Bliss. It's amazing, but when we look back on our WDW vacations it is not the theme parks, but moments such as these, that bring a lump to our throats and a tear to our eyes. And it is these things that you miss if you don't stay on-site. The next part of my Trip Report will be about our day at the Magic Kingdom - my favorite park and our final day at WDW. ********** Day Seven - Friday, October 17. Today is the final day of our trip to WDW, and is time to visit my favorite park, the Magic Kingdom. I’ve had difficulty in writing this part of my trip report, sensing that it will be almost impossible to convey how and why I love the Magic Kingdom so much. My enjoyment of the MK draws so heavily on my memories of the past that it is hard to separate what I experience now from what I experienced over thirty years ago. I experience this wonderful land through the eyes of my own childhood. Eyes that have not been clouded by the cynicism and disappointments that adulthood can bring. I remember the trips that my grandparents took me on, wonderful trips where I first experienced the attractions I now revisit at the Magic Kingdom. I was about ten-years-old when they first took me to California to visit my aunt, uncle, and cousins who had moved to Anaheim a few years before. Everything about California seemed magical to me then – the orange groves, the beautiful March weather, the swimming pool in my cousin’s backyard, and of course, our visit to Disneyland. A couple of years later they took me on another trip – this time to the 64-65 New York World’s Fair. I still remember the feeling I got as I opened the drapes in our Manhattan hotel room. The awe as I looked out a floor to ceiling window at the beautifully lit Empire State Building -- seemingly so close that I could reach out and touch it, shining in the New York night. Of course our visit to the World’s Fair included stops at “It’s a Small World†and the “Carousel of Progressâ€. While the animatronics of “Small World†seem quite dated now, back in 65 it was unlike anything I had seen – I was captivated by the colors and the movement. Then when we visited the “Carousel†I was only moderately impressed until the middle of the second scene when my grandpa leaned over and pointed out to me that “those aren’t real people – they must be some kind of puppetâ€. It seemed magical then, and when I think about how advanced it was for its time, it seems just a magical now. So these are the memories of my childhood, memories through which I filter my day at the Magic Kingdom. My grandparents passed on 12 years ago. One of my greatest regrets is that I never told them just how much those memories meant to me before they left. Now, with love, I pass on to my own family the memories my grandparents made for me. Our family’s day at Magic Kingdom starts with Adventureland. As usual, “Pirates of the Caribbean†is our favorite attraction – the animatronics are probably the best of any at the MK. We catch the “Country Bear Jamboree†during a quick pass through Frontierland, and then head to Liberty Square. The “Hall of Presidents†is better than any of us remembered – even my 14-year-old daughter is impressed. Then it is on to another favorite – the “Haunted Mansionâ€. This attraction is a funny/scary joy – we all especially enjoy the holographic ballroom scene. It would be great to know how that effect is accomplished, but then it is probably more fun not knowing. It’s about noon now and we are getting a little hungry. We stop in at our favorite MK counter service restaurant – the Columbia Harbour House. This little known eatery is tucked in between Liberty Square and Fantasyland, and it is a delight. I hate to give away such a good “secretâ€, but the Clam Chowder in a Bread Bowl is delicious and very inexpensive. The seating upstairs is rarely crowded and offers a great view of Fantasyland. We continue our tour with a stop at “Small Worldâ€. My wife and daughter aren’t big fans of the ride, but no trip to the MK would be complete for me without it. Next, it is time for “Peter Panâ€. This is a favorite of the whole family. If you took all the beauty and all the magic of the Magic Kingdom, and had to condense it into 20 seconds, you would have Peter Pan’s flight out of the children’s bedroom and over the twinkling lights of London. Another favorite we visit is “Mr. Toad’s Wild Rideâ€. We all love the herky-jerky, garishly colored ride down the road to Nowhere in Particular. The memories of that ride are especially sweet, now that we know we will never be able to go down that road again. After Fantasyland, we visit the new “Tomorrowlandâ€. This has really become one of our favorite sections of the park. The first stop is the “Carousel of Progressâ€. As unlikely as it may seem, it is my daughter’s FAVORITE attraction at the Magic Kingdom. She enjoys it so much that we visit it again for a second, then a third time. It is hard to describe my feelings as I realize that a favorite part of my childhood has now become a favorite part of my daughter’s childhood. Other Tomorrowland favorites include “Space Mountain†and “The Timekeeperâ€. I also really like the “Tomorrowland Transit Authority†and “Take Flightâ€, although neither my wife or daughter understand why. I see the “TTA†as a futuristic transit trip through an exotic spaceport. My wife and daughter just see it as a 5-mph ride around Tomorrowland. I guess your point of view makes all the difference. It is about time for Spectro-Magic, and since we have seen that several times before I want to use the time to go for a ride on “Splash Mountainâ€. My wife and daughter aren’t interested – my wife doesn’t like big drops, and my daughter doesn’t like getting wet. Nevertheless, they humor me and agree to wait while I give it a go myself. I think it is one of the MK’s best attractions, and thoroughly enjoy myself. After the ride, we head back over to Main Street. As the crowds start to leave the park, we stop in for one last shopping trip at the Emporium. I find a “25th Anniversary†Polo shirt that I would really like to have. My daughter also finds a very nice (and very expensive) WDW hooded sweatshirt that she really wants. It is our last day at WDW, and our souvenir budget is about shot. Since our daughter has already gotten far more than her share of the souvenir purchases, my wife encourages me to go ahead and buy the 25th Anniversary shirt – after all, they won’t be available later, the sweatshirt probably will. I am about to buy the shirt when I hear my grandpa saying “You can buy yourself a shirt, or you can give your daughter a memoryâ€. We catch the Disney Transit back to Dixie Landings, and eat a great room-service pizza while we pack for our flight back to Minnesota the following morning. My daughter still really loves her sweatshirt.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad Awesome awesome!!! There is nothing better than a first hand account! <<I knew mine were nowhere nearly as interesting as some I've seen here, so I had kind of decided to just leave Trip Reports to the pros.>> Hogwash! I LIVE to read the trip reports here! It makes me feel like I'm in the parks! Keep it comin' RoadTrip...please!
Originally Posted By DVC_dad <<We find that the drawback to our arrangement is not crowding, but four people having to pedal for six as we negotiate those hills. We are thankful it is not a real hot day>> ROFL !!!
Originally Posted By DVC_dad RoadTrip wrote: <<My enjoyment of the MK draws so heavily on my memories of the past that it is hard to separate what I experience now from what I experienced over thirty years ago. >> RT, this is perhaps the greatest single statement I have ever read anywhere concerning vactioning at a Disney Resrot!!! Thank you, it hit me on a deeply personal level!
Originally Posted By stitchcrazy RoadTrip - I don't always post a response for trip reports (and maybe I should get into the habit of it) but I always read every last word of ALL of them! Please keep posting them! I love hearing everyone's memories, experiences and opinons. Krista
Originally Posted By sherrytodd ^^^I'm going to second this. I LOVE LOVE LOVE trip reports and people's pictures. But I often don't post a response. I guess I should start.
Originally Posted By cape cod joe If you're trying to make me cry RT, you succeeded. I can't even see the keyboard with your grandparent thoughts. Someday in Heaven all these thoughts of yours will gel into one huge conglomeration of Disney ecstasy with family and friends joined at the hip in love and tranquility!!!!! In the interim, we have trips like yours to keep us headed to the promised land. DVC'S trip had an incredible present tense hysteria to it, whereas yours was a commingling of all the tenses with all the subtle moods. Very moving RT!
Originally Posted By cape cod joe My wife has that strange love affair with COP too that so many others do. I love it just to look at her loving it.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<RT-any pics like DVC? WE WANT PICS-WE WANT PICS!!!!!!!!!!!:))))>> Not yet... I still do film cameras and haven't had the film developed. When I do I will also have the pics put on a CD so I can put them on my 'puter. They will be hugely boring though. I'm not in any of them since I was taking the pic. My wife is in few of them because she doesn't particularly like having her picture taken. But if you want some nice shots of OKW... those I have!! LOL
Originally Posted By cape cod joe film cameras????????? wow that makes me feel so much better as I am so stupid with most computer things but I love my digital. It's getting them into the computer that is the problem. I'm like that too RT, i.e. taking most of the pics. Fam is too busy having fun hopefully.
Originally Posted By trailsend RoadTrip wrote: <<My enjoyment of the MK draws so heavily on my memories of the past that it is hard to separate what I experience now from what I experienced over thirty years ago. >> Oh my. How poignant. I'm repeating this again from someone else. There is no truer statement than this one. My years at WDW with my children from my daughter at 1 1/2 and my son's first trip when he was 13 mos. are so full of life and treasured moments that whenever I walk ANYWHERE in any of the parks, and especially the resorts where we've stayed, I'm reminded of being there before and I can remember exactly what we were doing; what my children were wearing. That started 27 years ago. Trippy, I love the way you carefully hold the simple moments; the way the sun shines, the landscaping . . .I can hear and smell the Polynesian right this moment. I can feel us walking to Capt Cook's to eat, or to the pool . . . just treasured moments in time. Whoa ~ I'm feeling good right now! Thanks!
Originally Posted By StitchMom84 RoadTrip, I think your account of your visit is very well written and also hit close to home for me. It does my heart good to see so many Dads (you, DVC dad, vbdad 55 ) who have such heart and love for family and the type of "magic" that one feels at a Disney Park, or when just reading about someone else's experience. I find myself coming back to LP frequently now to dip into this "magic pool" when I've had a bad day. It is so re-assuring to know that there ARE others out there like me! Thank you for posting your trip report!
Originally Posted By DVC_dad RoadTrip wrote: <<<Then it is on to another favorite – the “Haunted Mansionâ€. This attraction is a funny/scary joy – we all especially enjoy the holographic ballroom scene. It would be great to know how that effect is accomplished, but then it is probably more fun not knowing. >>> I know EXACLTY HOW this is done. After years and years of trying to figure it out...I am 100% convinced that I know how it is done. Oh...don't worry I will take this info to my grave someday when I become the one more addition to the 999.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<I know EXACLTY HOW this is done. After years and years of trying to figure it out...I am 100% convinced that I know how it is done.>> Yes, I think I've now figured it out now too. I liked it better back in '98 when I had no clue. I'm also pretty sure I've figured out how Turtle Talk works. I told my wife I thought I had it figured out and she said not to tell her -- that she didn't want to know. That's one smart wife!!
