Disney World Part 3 – Magic Kingdom
Woman in the Middle | December 8, 2017Since we live fairly close to Disneyland, we have been there many, many times. That affected the way we experienced the Magic Kingdom in a variety of ways. We got turned around because we are used to a place that is very similar yet isn’t the same. We were left puzzled by rides that were the same yet different. And we were seeing things that were removed from Disneyland decades before but were still going strong at Magic Kingdom. So, please read about our visit to Magic Kingdom with those things in mind. A person who has never been to Disneyland would experience Magic Kingdom in a different way, I think.
There are many moving parts to a Disney World Vacation. Being a newbie, I got one part a little wrong. All the travel guides say the week we went was a good week to go, crowd wise. What they did not mention is that the closing of Magic Kingdom at 6 pm on some days for special Christmas events changes the crowd dynamics considerably. Surprise! We decided to go to Magic Kingdom for the first time on a day that it did not close early. This allowed us to sleep in a bit and to take advantage of special extra hours that are only for people staying at the Disney resort, which on that day were from 10 pm to midnight. Good plan, except that everyone else had the same plan! The lines were very long for all the rides, and, according to one lady I spoke to, were comparable to lines in the peak summer season.
However, we still managed to get on some rides during the day and we took advantage of the extra hours to get on three rides pretty quickly. Most importantly, we got the lay of the land, so when we went back on our last day at Disney World, when the crowds were much more manageable, we were able to do everything else we wanted to do without feeling rushed.
As people familiar with Disneyland, one of the fun things for us was seeing what was different on our favorite and iconic Disney rides. We had fun figuring out the differences with Small World, Haunted House, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Big Thunder Mountain. I also got a big kick out of seeing, once again, three rides from my childhood that are long gone from Disneyland but still going strong at Magic Kingdom: Country Bear Jamboree, Century of Progress, and People Mover. However, nostalgia can have two sides. I admit I started crying in Country Bear Jamboree. It was one of my Mom’s favorite things at Disneyland, so seeing it again gave my heart a little tug. However, tears aside, I enjoyed seeing it again very much. Who knew an amusement park on the other side of the country could play your heart strings like that?
Here are a few photos of our two visits to the Magic Kingdon:
Just inside the entrance, with the iconic train station in the background.
Me and Cinderella’s Castle.
On the Seven Dwarves Mine Ride, one of a handful of rides we don’t have here in So Cal. Note the thrilled look on my face! LOL!
Concentrating hard on the Buss Lightyear ride.
My trusty camera and I actually took this photo of the castle at night.
I love Bear Jamboree! Glad you had a good trip!