On my day off this past week, I decided to finally dedicate a day to visit the Magic Kingdom. I had visited several times already since I arrived here, but it was always only in the night after work. Admittedly, Wishes is one of my favorite shows and so showing up for just a few hours to watch it was always worthwhile. For those of you who have never been to the Magic Kingdom, you cannot actually park near its gates. You park on the other side of the lagoon (2. What is the name of this lagoon?) and then take the monorail or ferry to get to the park. I prefer taking the monorail because it's faster and you get to see more of the park as you approach it.
The Magic Kingdom is divided up into six different sections: Main Street U.S.A., Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Liberty Square, Frontierland, and Adventureland. After proceeding through the entry gates, you will see Cinderella Castle at the end of Mainstreet. In the courtyard area outside of the castle you will also find the "Partners" statue, which is a mandatory photo op location. Disney Parks blog recently talked about this statue and some interesting facts about it. Click the link HERE to learn more. If you follow me on Instagram, then you probably already saw the picture I took later in the day of a bird perched right on Walt's finger. I wonder how often that bird decides to ruin guest's pictures. And for some quick trivia, 3. How many bricks were used to build Cinderella Castle?
Tomorrowland is naturally the second stop upon visiting the park, since most guests will be attempting to snag a fastpass for Space Mountain. One feature of Disney Parks that really sets them apart from other theme parks is that their fastpass system is free for all park guests. All you have to do is stick your park ticket into the fast pass kiosk near each ride and it will spit out a ticket and time for you to return. The fastpass system even works for cast members. While you are limited on how many fastpasses you can obtain per day, there is usually just that one attraction that will end up having like a 2-hour wait. Comparatively, the wait times for other attractions won't be as bad.
Some of the attractions in Tomorrowland include Monster's, Inc. Laugh Floor (Monsters University is awesome by the way), Stitch's Great Escape, Space Mountain, Carousel of Progress, and Tomorrowland Speedway. The Laugh Floor didn't look too promising during the pre-show, but it was actually really funny. It's not a set program show and it actually has real-life interaction with the park guests, with Monster reactions included. I've only experienced it once, but I really want to try it again to see what new jokes and situations turn up. Stitch's Great Escape is also a fun little ride that lets you experience the mayhem experiment 626 can cause. This attraction used to be called ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter and was absolutely terrifying. So a number of years ago, it was decided to ditch the old horror show and go with something a little more family friendly. (Now there is no slimy alien tongue prodding the back of your neck 0_0) I also had to ride the Tomorrowland Speedway because those kind of attractions are my father's favorites. I will talk more about Space Mountain in a few more paragraphs.
The New Fantasyland Section has turned out quite nicely and it is now the largest section in the Magic Kingdom. With areas such as Storybook Circus, Belle's Village, and the Town Square, there are tons of attractions and shops to visit. The Storybook Circus area is themed around concepts from the movie Dumbo and has multiple Flying Elephant rides. There are other special character meet and greet opportunities specific to that area. The year Dumbo was released (1941) it was scheduled to be featured on the cover of Time magazine, but an event later that year ended up beating it out for the front cover. 4. What event was that?
The Ariel's Grotto area features an all-new musical adventure called Ariel's Undersea Adventure that uses the same kind of setup as the Haunted Mansion ride. This ride is very colorful and fun as you get to relive the movie and jam out with all of its tunes. They even have a life-size singin' dancin' Ursula as she casts her spell on Ariel. This ride also features a really fun, interactive queue line. (it's also really long...) Interestingly enough, Ariel's Grotto is also the only place at Disney World where you can actually meet and greet Ariel in her fins.
Belle's Village has several areas and attractions including Gaston's Tavern, Belle's home, and Beast's Castle. Inside Belle's home is the new attraction called Enchanted Tales with Belle. It is an interactive tour where the guests get to play different roles in the retelling of how Belle fell in love with the Beast. Belle herself even comes out to participate in the fun. One of the most amazing parts of this attraction, however, is the beginning. I'm still not sure how they do it, but Disney Imagineers made a mirror that turns into a door which you pass through to begin the adventure. Frankly, it looks freaking awesome.
Beast's Castle is home to the Be Our Guest restaurant. This location is unique in that it has quick-service meals for lunch, but then only table-service for dinner. The theming inside the restaurant is amazing (so I've heard), but the wait can be a little ridiculous. Even for quick-service, the line normally takes about an hour. I heard someone say they might start doing fastpasses for lunch. Getting in for dinner is a whole 'nother story. 5. How far in advance do you think the average reservation is booked for dinner at Be Our Guest?
There are many other timeless attractions in Fantasyland such as Peter Pan's Flight, the Prince Charming Carousel, the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, "it's a small world", and Mickey's PhilharMagic. Here are a few trivia questions for you about some of these attractions:
6. Philhar Magic is a 3D adventure through Disney films that includes lots of real-life elements like being sprayed with water and also different smells. Many years ago, Walt Disney created a film in which he wanted the theater ushers to throw water on guests and release certain smells at different points in the movie. While the film was originally a flop and those features were not included, PhilharMagic seems to have captured that dream of his and even references that film during the PhilharMagic show. What was that film?
7. "it's a small world" was originally created as an attraction for the World's Fair in New York back in the 1960's and was meant to be a promotional piece to raise awareness for a certain organization. What was that organization? (Hint: it has to do with children, which is why there are only animatronic children in the ride)
One of the largest additions to Fantasyland has yet to open, but takes up a large portion of land in the Magic Kingdom. This new attraction will be the newest "mountain" added to the lineup, even if it doesn't necessarily have mountain in the name. With the removal of the old Snow White dark ride, Disney Imagineers wanted to make sure the first feature-length, animated Disney film didn't lose its presence. And with this new Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs mine train coaster, I don't think anyone will be forgetting about it anytime soon. According to reports, the track for the ride has been completed and now they just need to finish all of detailed theming, which will take like another 7 months. This ride is scheduled to open in 2014, hopefully in the first quarter.
Heading away from the massive Fantasyland area, you will arrive at Liberty Square. I had never experienced the Hall of Presidents attraction before, but I will admit that it did a good job of instilling a sense of American pride. I also liked how it presented a different side of American history by talking about the struggles of the colonies in forming a union and how many wanted to just go back to being a monarchy. Maybe it's just been a while since I took a history class, but it seemed like a lot of those topics were ignored. It was also nice and cool in the theater and made for a quick escape out of the heat.
The Haunted Mansion is another great place to go to get out of the heat for a bit. The history behind the Haunted Mansion is actually quite incredible, but I won't be going into a lot of detail about it right now. While the ride may not actually be all that scary, it is still a little morbid with various depictions of death. Regardless, it is still a fun ride and you will pick up on new things every time. The narrator for the ride mentions that there are 999 happy haunts in the mansion and that there is room for one more. 8. How many "haunts" are actually depicted in the ride?
Frontierland is another well-known and oft visited section of the Magic Kingdom. I've never actually been on the steamboat, but it looks fun. Frontierland is home to the other two mountains: Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain. Splash Mountain takes its themes from the movie "Song of the South" which relays the stories of Brer Rabbit and his friends. The ride is a log flume that culminates in a 5-story drop into a brier patch. While no one really remembers much of "Song of the South" (mostly because Disney has tried to kill it due to racial sensitivity), the movie won an Academy Award for the Best Original Song back in 1946. 9. What was the song?
Big Thunder Mountain is another great ride with multiple lift hills and quick turns. I really like the double station system they have as well, since it makes the line move fairly quick. My favorite part of this ride, however, is riding by yourself and trying to keep from sliding all over the seat on those hairpin turns. I also recently found out that the theming behind the landscape in this attraction is actually based on Monument Valley in Arizona.
While Space Mountain is not in Frontierland, I figured it would be best to talk about it here. Space Mountain is probably my favorite ride in the Magic Kingdom, although it can take a lot out of you. It can be enjoyable sitting in the back seat of the six-passenger train and getting extra airtime, but many of the turns are merciless. It's moments like those that I'm glad I have a 3-inch titanium plate supporting my neck. But as any true coaster enthusiast would say, just because it hurts sometimes isn't a good enough reason to not ride it. Surprisingly, the few first rows are actually much less intense. 10. Of the three mountains at Magic Kingdom, which one is the fastest?
The last section of the Magic Kingdom is Adventureland. The most well-known attraction here is Pirates of the Caribbean. This ride is very unique in that the movie series it inspired ended up inspiring the attraction in return. Jack Sparrow is now featured in this ride as another animatronic pirate who ends up gettin' the gold for himself. Pirates is also one of the attractions that Walt Disney personally oversaw himself.
Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room is another interesting attraction that is essentially a musical put on by a bunch of birds, flowers, and tiki statues. Honestly, I didn't really get what was going on, but I guess it was mildly amusing to watch the room come to life. The attraction ends suddenly, however, when the tiki gods get ticked and so everyone has to leave. So yeah that was kinda random.
At the end of Adventureland, you will arrive back at Mainstreet U.S.A. In the evening, don't miss the various nighttime shows like Celebrate the Magic, Wishes, and the Electrical Parade. I always enjoy watching those shows because no matter how hot or miserable the weather might have been, you suddenly forget about all of that as you watch the firework display. The Magic Kingdom is truly magical and I hope all of you get a chance to visit if you haven't already. Now, let's see how you did on the questions!
Answers
1. Mortimer
2. Seven Seas Lagoon
3. Zero
4. Pearl Harbor
5. Six Months
6. Fantasia
7. UNICEF
8. 999 Haunts are actually depicted, whether in images, animatronics, or other forms.
9. Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah
10. Splash Mountain (reaches speeds of 40 mph at the bottom of the drop). BTM and Space Mountain max out at about 28-30 mph.
No comments:
Post a Comment