Having booked transport tickets to the Magic Kingdom for an 8am pickup, we were up early again and left the hotel without breakfast. It was only halfway to Disney’s main park that we realised we had also left without our reservation information! Fortunately, thanks to months of entering the Virgin reference into the website and having my passport to hand, the staff were able to find us in the system so we didn’t have to turn around.
This was our first weekend day. Wow! The park was absolutely jam packed. After a “quick” pop-in to a bakery (which was cunningly disguised as a Starbucks) for breakfast we headed to Adventureland where we were greeted with tribal design and an Aladdin theme, including a giant camel. As we neared the camel, I heard some water splashing, I then saw a puddle on the ground. Just as I put two and two together, the camel spat water, all over Debora. I couldn’t stop laughing.
It was then onto the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, a tame water ride that’s been updated to feature Barbosa and Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow. Then the fifteen minute queue for Splash Mountain turned into thirty, the fifty foot plunge weighing on Debora’s mind, but it wasn’t as scary as she thought. Fun little ride that one.
But the heat of the sun was proving too much and Debora had burnt her head! She needed a hat, pronto! To the circus tent where we picked up a floppy Minne Mouse sun hat for her and a nice iced drink.
As we wandered around the park – getting our picture taken at any opportunity – we realised that the Magic Kingdom was really geared towards the young park attendee. Again, it was hot and not a lot of shade to take cover in. We went on the Stich ride – really don’t understand what that was about. After two video chats it’s into a circular room where an anamatronic Stich (of Lilo and Stich) is shown messing around. It then plunges into darkness and the ride jolts as Stich “runs” around you before letting out an awful stench. This proved too much for some of the little ones who had to leave early.
But not all little ones were upset – as after Stich we went to the Monsters Inc. Laugh Factory. This is an odd but strangely excellent live stand up comedy routine where the digital Mike Wakowski and friends interact with the audience. I assume there are actually actors in mo-cap suits behind the screens. They tell jokes and the story of Monsters Inc. and keep cutting to live shots of the crowd for ample laughter opportunites. Thankfully, when they described Sully as a hairy beast, they cut to someone else in the crowd with a massive beard. The star of the show was the tiny girl who they cut to for Boo, who kept playing peek-a-boo to audience and actor delight.
The park was so busy and our pick up not until 6. So we headed over to Epcot, thinking that people wouldn’t spend their time learning. We were wrong. Another 20 minute wait for the Spaceship Earth and a trek in the wrong direction in the heat saw us turn back and hang about in the air conditioned Coca-Cola shop. I tried a Japanese Cola, it was like flat Fanta.
The queue for Soarin’ was over an hour so we went on the Underwater Adventure with Nemo. Another ride I didn’t see the point of. You’re in a clam that moves along a track watching the abridged version of Finding Nemo. The scene in the current was alright, but the best part were the seagulls at the ride entrance who moved and declared “mine”!
Mission to Mars was next, we went on the timid Green version as the queue time was a tenth of the more intense Orange line. Don’t go on this if you’re claustrophobic or get sick in simulators. Otherwise, fun. Then one more trip to a shop where we bought Debora some Mickey Mouse shoes.
Another long queue – this time for the bus back to the hotel which wasn’t as air conditioned as it could have been. We had settled on an early night so went for a little walk down to Sweet Tomatos – the only place we can find that isn’t a steakhouse and offers vegetarian dishes!! On the way back we stopped at Walgreens for some supplies, a 24 pack of water so we don’t have to drink this awful rubber-water any more. By the time we got back, it was 21:20. So much for our early night.
