Disney Cruise Line
Day 2
The alarm clock in the room worked perfectly. Soon after, we were at the Disney Cruise Line desk,
where we were met by Joan, a friendly senior citizen, who had some trouble finding our documents
(apparently, staff rotates at these desks, and the only way anyone can keep track of anything is through a log book).
She eventually found my form, which I quickly signed. We were then off to the bus stop in front of the Boardwalk where we would catch the bus to the Magic Kingdom.
Staff rotates at (Disney Cruise Line) desks, and the only way anyone can keep track of anything is through a log book.
Disney's transportation system is beyond compare. Everything runs on time and everyone is friendly.
The equipment is well maintained and top notch.
In under 10 minutes, we were at the Magic Kingdom. Our breakfast appointment was for 8:45. The park opens at 8:30 and the rides only start at 9:00. We, and about 500 other people, arrived at around 8:15.
But before long, and after some lively cheerleading from the ticket takers, we were let in.
Here's a fun game to play. If ever you travel to Walt Disney World, count the number of times a cast member (i.e. a Disney employee) asks a crowd "Are you ready?", immediately followed by an "I can't hear you!"
I stopped counting at around 12 times.
Annabelle and I made our way to Cinderella's Castle were breakfast for the Royal Round Table is held.
There was no crowd and a family ahead of us with no reservations was told that they'd have to wait 45 minutes to get in.
I guess making reservations 6 months in advance really isn't necessary after all.
Inside in the waiting area we were met by Cinderella's fairy godmother who entertained the little girls that seemed to be everywhere (little boys were conspicuous by their absence, and those that were there were announcing their presence with loud bawling).
We waited no more than 15 minutes to be seated (this is normal for a character breakfast at Walt Disney World).
Once inside, we were treated to an all you can eat breakfast in an elegant gothic dining room.
The menu was basic, with eggs, ham, bacon, waffles, pancakes, etc. Annabelle and I have never wanted anything more elaborate than that, so we were quite pleased with the meal.
For those who have never attended a character breakfast (or lunch, or dinner), the concept is quite simple.
You are placed at a table in a dining room, and characters then go from table to table visiting everyone, and having their picture taken.
Everyone gets a chance to meet the character and no one is left out. While these breakfasts are aimed at little children,
adults enjoy the experience as well, and couples without children usually make up one-quarter to one-third of all sittings.
Cinderella's Royal Round Table featured Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, Peter Pan and Wendy. We had our picture taken with all of them, and got to chit-chat with them all.
This being the slow season, we even had time to visit with most of them a second time.
Please note, it's very bright in the mornings and half the restaurant is all windows.
If you have any pictures taken, make sure that you're always facing the windows and that the photographer has his back to the windows,
since even a flash might not be powerful enough to offset the contrast of the bright sun.
After breakfast, we quickly moved on to the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, one of our favorite rides from our last trip.
The line this time was thankfully shorter than last time we were at Walt Disney World. Last time, we had to wait upwards of an hour.
This time, we were inside and seated in under 15 minutes. A warning to families with children,
this ride is going to scare the willies out of your kids! It's like watching Alien in the middle of the night with the lights off,
and then some! Things will reach out through the darkness and touch you. People will scream.
For those who can't envision the fact that it's just a ride, it is going to be terrifying.
And now a warning to those who have already been on this ride once before: it's not as scary the second time.
The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter is going to scare the willies out of your kids!
The Pirates of the Caribbean was tedious and becomes increasingly disturbing every time I see it due to its politically incorrectness.
We had to ride it, though, if only for nostalgia's sake. We skipped the Jungle Cruise since it's an open-air ride on a very hot day, the pilot's script is old and tired, and frankly we expected to see something better at the Animal Kingdom.
The Pirates of the Caribbean ... becomes increasingly disturbing every time I see it due to its politically incorrectness.
From there, we moved on to Splash Mountain. We were riding the log within 15 minutes.
If we hadn't been made to walk the long maze usually reserved for when there's long lines,
we could have been on the ride in 5 minutes.
We skipped Big Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain since, as the noon hour approached, the lines were finally getting long.
We resolved to leave the Magic Kingdom and drop in on the new Downtown Disney for some lunch and shopping.
In order to get to Downtown Disney, we first had to return to our hotel, where we could then catch a connecting bus.
Still, we were there in less than 30 minutes. Once there, Annabelle got her hair braided.
We then moved on to the World of Disney, apparently the world's largest merchandise stop.
Here's a tip, make sure you get a Magic Kingdom Club card before travelling to Walt Disney World.
It'll help you get discounts on all kinds of accommodations (including the Disney Cruise Line) as well as 10% off any purchase over $10 at the Disney Marketplace, where the World of Disney is located.
Make sure you get a Magic Kingdom Club card before travelling to Walt Disney World.
Annabelle and I loaded up a basket with merchandise and then presented ourselves at a cashier. I flashed my Magic Kingdom Club card and asked if it applied here.
The cashier told me "Only if it has a '9' in it," at which point we all examined the card very intently.
Of course, the cashier was just teasing us. We saved a bundle with the card and the cashier was very friendly.
We then moved on to the Lego store, a new shop since our last visit. The exhibits are very impressive.
We also spotted the new McDonald's restaurant, which wasn't all that impressive. I had been led to believe it was supposed to be a pseudo-amusement park, a kind of McDonald's-land, but it was nothing of the sort.
We walked through Pleasure Island, which is fairly dead during the daytime, and finally made our way into Disney's West End,
another new attraction since our last visit. The stores were expensive and bland.
The restaurants were uninteresting. DisneyQuest, an ultra-modern arcade which had just opened, was a disappointment.
You have no choice but to buy at least $15 worth of credits if you want to enter DisneyQuest.
Holders of length-of-stay passports, who have access to all other Disney attractions (including the water parks) while staying at a Disney resort,
don't have access to DisneyQuest without paying. Annabelle and I resolved not to give in to the corporate beast.
We walked on by. We admired the new Cirque du Soliel installation from afar (it's still under construction) and I reminded Annabelle for the millionth time that the Cirque originates in Quebec, my home province.
DisneyQuest, an ultra-modern arcade, was a disappointment.
Tired and suffering under the merciless August sun, we returned to our hotel not having eaten a bite.
We resolved to take a dip at Luna Park.
The water slide was great fun and the pool itself is quite large, although somewhat crowded.
When it started to drizzle (intermittent rain showers in the afternoon is a central Florida tradition) we retired to our room.
Hungry, we returned to the Boardwalk to find something to eat. It was at this point that we discovered there's nowhere to eat here until at least 5pm.
But the bar by Luna Park (Leaping Horse Libations, it was called) was open, so we headed there and got ourselves some yummy hot dogs.
From there it was only a couple of hours to our character dinner at the Grand Floridian's 1900 Park Fare restaurant.
We got all spiffed up and hopped a bus to the Magic Kingdom. From there, it was only a short monorail ride around the lake (through the Contemporary Resort, the Transportation and Ticket Center, and the Polynesian Resort) to the Grand Floridian.
Of course, we could have just walked, but then we would have missed the witty banter of Mark, the monorail driver, who obviously graduated from the David Letterman school of repetition = comedy.
We were overwhelmed by the beauty and grandeur of Disney's Grand Floridian hotel.
Designed in the Victorian style, it's a throwback to the great hotels of the turn of the century.
This is the most elaborate and expensive of Disney's deluxe hotels.
A musician played piano in the lobby. Crystal chandeliers hanged from the ceiling.
There is nothing that compares to the Grand Floridian, except for maybe the Swan and Dolphin hotels.
We easily found the 1900 Park Fare restaurant and even though we arrived 15 minutes ahead of schedule,
we were quickly ushered in and seated.
We were overwhelmed by the beauty and grandeur of Disney's Grand Floridian hotel.
The dinner is a hot buffet, and as can be expected of a meal intended for children, the selection was quite plain and bland (most everything was utterly tasteless).
Dessert was excellent, but by the time we got around to it, we were too stuffed to eat much of it.
Disney characters featured during the dinner include Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and Snow White.
We had the misfortune of being seated next to an infant girl who was utterly terrified of Mickey Mouse,
and any time he appeared the child would promptly start wailing.
After some time, though, Snow White came around and spent some time with the little girl, calming her down and eventually easing her fear of Mickey.
I do have to compliment the staff of the restaurant for handling the situation in a very professional manner.
Even with our early arrival, we were still one of the last people to be seated at the restaurant,
and by the time we were done with dinner, it was time to turn in.
The rest of the evening was uneventful, but the following morning would be anything but.
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