Bricker Family Disney World Trip Report — Pt 4
After our third day split between Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot, our second-to-last day at Walt Disney World was Magic Kingdom day. Sarah and I had quite a bit of work to get done, so it was a bit of a late start, too.
It may seem like Magic Kingdom day would be a poor time to not rope drop the park. After all, attractions like Peter Pan’s Flight, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, etc. etc. etc., all develop long lines and it’s difficult if not impossible to score FastPass+ for all of them.
However, my parents’ Magic Kingdom priorities are not the same as the vast majority of guests. Instead, they wanted to Walt Disney World classics like Country Bear Jamboree, Carousel of Progress, the Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover, and Hall of Presidents. Gee, I wonder where they got such good taste in attractions. (Err, maybe that’s the other way around…)
We’ll start with (what I think is) an interesting comparison of changing light, and how that impacts photos. These were all taken in the span of maybe 10 minutes, while my parents shopped on Main Street…
This is a pretty standard view of Cinderella Castle rising above Main Street with clouds behind it. A normal scene in Florida.
This is only a couple of minutes later, and is a much rarer sight. Notice that Cinderella Castle is brightly lit, which isn’t altogether unusual on its own, but also that it has thick storm clouds behind it. The sun had peaked out from behind the clouds to illuminate it. I like the contrast.
That view was short-lived, as the cloud cover further thickened, totally blocking the sun. I don’t like this shot at all. It looks flat and bland as compared to the previous one.
Just thought that’d be interesting to illustrate how light can dramatically change how a scene looks in a photo. Note that these photos would look substantially the same if taken with an iPhone, so it’s something to be mindful of even if you’re not a “serious” photographer.
After those photos on Main Street and perusing some shops, we ended up rope dropping Country Bear Jamboree. Technically, we didn’t ‘rope drop’ it since we arrived around noon, but it was still the first thing we did.
Obviously, they loved Country Bear Jamboree. My parents aren’t chumps; they recognize a witty, brilliantly-written attraction when they see it.
Afterwards, my mom lamented the fact that Disney hadn’t done more with the Country Bears, suggesting they’d be perfect for a hotel. Please, no one tell her what almost was.
The next stop was Splash Mountain. Not for the attraction, but for the Briar Patch gift shop. We visited a lot of gift shops.
Following that, we did Haunted Mansion. This was one of the more notable uses of the Disability Access Service Card. This took us away from the main queue into a tight hallway near the exit. It seemed odd for such a tight space to be used, and it was a convoluted and uncomfortable process.
The same thing occurred with ‘it’s a small world’, where Cast Members seemed to have a very haphazard way of dealing with those using the card.
Our experiences using the Disability Access Service Card were all over the place. For some attractions (Frozen Ever After and Toy Story Mania come to mind), Cast Members couldn’t have been more accommodating, and were incredibly helpful and friendly.
In other cases, the process was cumbersome and Cast Members treated us almost as a burden. It’d make sense that these things would go hand-in-hand, as the ADA retrofit on these attractions made the process unpleasant for guests–but also for them. I can imagine that this is a hassle for them, but they should still do a better job of making guests feel welcome.
For older Magic Kingdom attractions, I don’t think there’s any easy solution. Rebuilding the queues simply isn’t feasible, so these are always going to be at least somewhat convoluted. What could be improved is the guest service, perhaps with specific Cast Members, well-versed in policy and with high-service marks, devoted to Disability Access Service Card guests.
Given the number of people perpetually in line at these attractions, I don’t think allocating a Cast Member to Disability Access Service Card access, exclusively, at each attraction would be unduly burdensome.
After this, we did the Little Mermaid dark ride. I still can’t recall the name of this without looking it up. The Disney California Adventure and Magic Kingdom versions each have different names, both of which are equally cumbersome and forgettable. What happened to the good ‘ole days of succinct attraction names?
On the plus side, Disability Access Service Card access here was incredibly smooth, and the Cast Members were once again great.
We then headed over to Tomorrowland, hyped for Carousel of Progress and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover. Both were down. This sort of threw a monkey-wrench into our plans. Rather than criss-crossing the park for Pirates of the Caribbean or Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, we decided to go the ‘less-walking’ route, and wait it out.
We got ice cream from Auntie Gravity’s (speaking of names–I’ve always thought the pun game here is strong), grabbed tables over by Space Mountain, and waited. And waited.
The tables by Tomorrowland Speedway aren’t exactly the most pleasant place to relax in the park, so we wandered back along the path that connects Tomorrowland to Storybook Circus.
This is such a peaceful path and even though there are rarely many people on it, it amazes me that there’s ever anyone on it. It’s a path I don’t think you’re going to find unless you’re deliberately looking for it or you get really turned around. (Be honest: how many of you didn’t even know this path existed?)
It was quite pretty back along the path, with flowers in bloom along the edge of the Speedway and nice views of Space Mountain.
We were closing in on the end of the day for my parents, so I was really hopeful Carousel of Progress and the Peoplemover would be back up and running, but they were not. For most people, this probably wouldn’t be a big deal, but Carousel of Progress was up there for them as one of the top ‘must dos’ in all of Walt Disney World. We could skip just about every headliner…we couldn’t skip Carousel of Progress.
Sitting around waiting wasn’t going to make it open any sooner, though. Instead, we decided we’d return to Magic Kingdom the following day (for at least part of the day) as there were still several attractions they wanted to do, and realistically, they couldn’t do it all that day. On Page 2 we’ll continue with sunset at the Grand Floridian, front-row Wishes, and more…
I miss the days when MK was open until 3am in August. My husband and I used to love spending early morning hours wandering around the park and doing everything as a walk on. I still remember getting 3am dole whips and just soaking in the atmosphere in Adventureland with no one around. On the other hand, as we are getting older, our touring style is slowing down so I don’t know if we would even make it to 3am anymore!!
Also, count us among those who love the walkway from tomorrowland to storybook circus. I do wish it wasn’t a smoking area though, because the stench can be overwhelming at times.
What did you mean about “Snow White in the center”
Just curious
On the ceiling in the queue, if all the buckets are spinning fast enough, Snow White appears.
I have seen Wishes sitting smack dab in front of the castle. I thought it might be a bad spot, but loved it. I think I would love Wishes no matter what and where I was. I am SO sad it is gone. For those who grew up watching WWODisney on Sunday nights with Jiminy Cricket and Tinkerbell, Wishes IS Disney. Not sure about the change. I am very sad Wishes will be eliminated.
Going to WDW in 100 days. Keeping notes of odd and ends to do. The information of the path just made that list.
makes me feel a little less shattered that i dropped our new Yacht Club mug a few days after we returned,.. it never even lived long enough to get dirty.
Tom, maybe this will make you feel a little better…I bought a mug from Splash Mountain on our last trip that looks to be the exact same style and decoration technique as your Grand Floridian one. I did follow directions and wash only by hand and in 4 short months, a good third of the decoration has come off. There’s really no excuse for this. Disney should do better.
That doesn’t really make me feel better. If anything, more aggravated that Disney sells mugs like this at all. From what I understand (which isn’t much, really–I’m just believing what the internet tells me), hand-wash only mugs are much cheaper to produce. That’s an incredibly lame justification for selling them, especially at Disney’s premium prices.
I also wish Disney didn’t sell so many non-dishwasher safe mugs. The only Disney mugs I have are the “You Are Here” ones from Starbucks because they ARE dishwasher safe. I have destroyed more than one thing in the dishwasher. I would love to buy more Disney mugs, but way too many aren’t dishwasher or microwave safe.
Also, I completely agree that if Carousel of Progress is closed, you just leave and come back when it’s open. It’s not that I don’t like other things at MK, its just that CoP is my favorite and I would be so sad if I couldn’t visit.
What is this Snow White appearing trick I’ve never heard of before?
I gotta ask — what happened to the mug?
I got a travel mug from DLP and braved my dishwasher anyway. So far it’s been okay, but I noticed the plastic base is starting to unglue. It baffles me that mugs wouldn’t be dishwasher safe!!
The graphic started to fall off and now it looks like Mickey and Minnie’s faces are melting. Not a pretty sight, but I suppose it’s one way to wake you up in the morning without even having caffeinated coffee! 😉
I realize it could be annoying, but I might be one of those people who asked about your dog. I’d try not to, but I might fail. I know Disney accommodates service dogs, but I’ve never seen one in the park so I’d be unbearably curious how it works.
You comment made me look up the name of “Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid”. We just call it “The Little Mermaid Ride”. I think Toy Story (minus Midway Mania) might be the only other ride we don’t use the full name. I’m also with you on buying only dishwasher-safe items and I can’t fathom why everything isn’t in this day and age.
Lastly – I’m glad you guys stayed at the Grand Floridian after dinner. I really enjoyed those photos.
When people actually stop him to ask about it, I think my dad likes talking to them. He’s a very vocal supporter of the service dog organization, and he likes to share his story about them.
It’s when people come up and pet the dog without saying anything that (I’m guessing) tests his patience a bit more, but he was quite friendly with a number of kids this trip…
The smoking section on that path is unbearable, probably part of why it’s so empty. I usually just peek over at it from the People Mover and JUDGE the parents standing there smoking with strollers…ga-ross. Your dad deserves accolades for dealing with all the dog questioning! I didn’t realize people actually did that, it seems polite to just let you guys have your vacation in peace. Although I do take stealthy ninja pics of service dogs at Disney to send to my friends. THEY’RE JUST SO CUTE.
Glad to know I am not the only one who judges people smoking with their kids. Number one pet peeve!
Tom, our whole family loves your blog… your photos and writing! We just returned from two weeks at WDW. Like you, we love the path from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland — when the smoking section isn’t overflowing! That was our experience this time. Smokers were using most of the path, instead of just the designated smoking section. When it’s quiet on the path, we love to wait for the train to come by 🙂
The changes just in the last 2 years have been incredibly notable in the Magic Kingdom by way of “normalising” crowds. I will now only consider doing the headliners via Fastpass+.
I do question the wisdom of it in the long term though. While one-and-done visitors expect it to be ridiculously busy and plan accordingly, repeat visitors benefitted from the peaks and troughs in crowds even during a single day.
If the MK operates in one mode (frenetic), those people will stop planning impromptu trips to Disney World; it becomes a chore (“for the kids”) instead of a pleasant pastime (which accurately describes the majority of those at WDW, I believe – it is I would suggest a minority who visit it for pleasure!). I personally do not visit WDW for the MK’s headliners as I know I’ll have a much nicer time at any other park’s “Disneyland” park, not least DLP.
As it stands, I still get great enjoyment by combining the Fastpass+ Reservations with less popular attractions (even if the idea of waiting 5 minutes for the TTA Peoplemover strikes me as bizarre), but I’m sure these low-guest-satisfaction attractions will be next on the list for “enhancement”. As we know, a walk-on can be turned into the hottest FP+ ticket in town by the addition of the right hot property. Again, can’t blame Disney for it, but there simply has to be the capacity for “Tier 3” attractions with <20min wait times even during busy days to make the park enjoyable. In my opinion.
This problem is most pronounced at Magic Kingdom, where additional capacity is really necessary. This will become even more clear once Star Wars Land opens, as it’s going to draw more guests to Walt Disney World–and not just DHS.
Unfortunately, I don’t see a short term fix. DHS and Epcot are both badly in need of updates, and those will (understandably) take precedence over Magic Kingdom. Walt Disney World should’ve invested in more capacity for New Fantasyland when that project was being developed. The best short-term solution is conversions of attractions like Stitch’s Great Escape to something better (but short of headliners). I think we’ll see some of that in the next few years.
We, too, found the Disability Pass situation odd when we took a guest who needed it. We never knew, at each attraction, how to bring it up, to whom, and then which entry would be provided. Some happily waved us through a designated spot, others sent us in the fast pass line, others seemed doubtful of our guest’s situation. (Though is was fully visible.) Our guest couldn’t overdo, and we often worried that the fast pass line would still be too long a wait for her to stand. Thankfully it was a lower season, and the pass was a wonderful help, even though a few cast members were not sure what to do with us!
My dad’s disability is also fully visible, so we had no issues there. However, I’ve heard horror stories about Cast Members calling into question guests with invisible disabilities. Not only is this not their place and incredibly poor service, but it’s borderline illegal under the ADA. Disney should really do a better job training the Cast Members who interface with these guests, as some encounters are opening them up to (legitimate) legal claims.
I also found the system for using the disability access pass inconsistent, depending on the park, cast member, attraction, or even possibly the weather. Who knows. One thing I learned (from a cast member) is to speak up at each attraction. By that I mean explain a little about the type of disability I have, as it is not visible. This should not be necessary and could be considered a violation of my privacy, but if I want to experience an attraction, I offer the information. Still, some cast members are dubious as to my ‘so -called disability’ and are wary of allowing me to use the pass. Sad to say, it is not problem-free.
In a few days I’ll be at WDW. Hopefully, things will go smoother. One upside to the pass (I almost feel bad saying that) is I get free valet parking at the hotels and up close parking at theme parks. There are a few other perks too (at least there used to be, if they didn’t take them away), which I’m sure you will cover in your article.
Btw, great photos Tom.
Correction: while I’m sure about free valet disabled parking, the thing is you may be eligible only if you have a state issued disability parking placard. I bring mine with me. Not sure if it’s available with just the Disney access pass.
Thanks for the info! We did not drive at all during the trip, so we had no firsthand experience with this.
Hey Tom….I used the DAS card on our last trip in January…Haunted Mansion was pretty awkward, but it was cool, too. They loaded us near the normal exit and we got to ride our doombuggy from that point to where the normal loading area is. Not very exciting (they could put up the wallpaper or some self knocking door knockers or scary portraits) but it was previously unchartered territory for us.
Excellent Sam the Eagle reference. Also, I have to wholeheartedly agree with your parents (and your) ride preferences. Carousel of Progress is in my top 5, also Country Bear Jamboree. Although our last trip it seemed like they had the volume turned down or something, we could hardly hear the lines. Side note; I had no idea about this proposed ski resort. And unfortunately, Hall of Presidents was closed for refurb per Disney “to welcome our new President” on our last trip. Add that to the list of reasons for another WDW trip in the near future!
Rumor is the Enchanted Tiki Room is scheduled to close. I’ll miss it.
WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Did the rumor mention “when”??
The return to Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room has done poorly since ~6 months after it debuted. I haven’t heard this rumor, but I’d be shocked if it lasted more than a few more years.
The thing is, with so many current and future projects, how high of a priority is this? I could see it being modified to become a table service restaurant (as originally intended by Walt Disney), as a way of making it “profitable” even with low visitation numbers.
My daughter and I did the Tiki room in December, not knowing it had switched over. After it started, she looked at me and said “This is sad.” Both of us couldn’t wait to get out of there. We missed Iago, Zazu, and the tiki god.
I’ve had the same mug issue! My ToT mug graphics disappeared in the dishwasher which given the ride I thought was some clever Disney merchandising 😉 It probably was as I just replaced it on the next trip and now hand wash it…
delightful write-up!! I consider my grumpiness an alternate form of social exuberance. Perhaps there is some echo here of the manic-depressive syndrome but I prefer to pair the terms ‘melancholy’ and ‘euphoria’ which grant an authentic status to the moods rather than treating them as some deficiency that needs correction. You’re extremely generous with your blogging and it’s perfectly fine for you to be shy in person. But that won’t stop me from crushing you in a bear hug if our paths ever cross!!
Hahah, nice way to look at it.
I don’t mind meeting people in person (and always encourage people to say hello), but some readers seem to think meeting us would be a “fun” experience, and I am almost certain if you have any sort of expectations, you will be disappointed. By me–not by Sarah. She’s cool. 🙂
that’s because you’re a reserved mid-westerner and i’m a brash easterner. but i dislike people who are demanding and aggressive like me and admire those who are methodical and thoughtful. You may not be dramatic and wildly spontaneous but as I have said a number of times, you possess a genuine artistic eye for beauty and your verbal descriptions are witty and insightful. You have nothing to prove ‘in person’,..