Bricker Family Disney World Trip Report — Pt 5
After day 3 of our family trip was spent in Magic Kingdom, the only park we had left to hit was Animal Kingdom. However, with Pandora – World of Avatar still under construction and Rivers of Light not debuting until the following day, my parents didn’t have interest in going there. Instead, they wanted to go back to Magic Kingdom for Carousel of Progress, the Peoplemover, and a handful of other attractions we missed.
While we were unlikely with our Rivers of Light timing, we were fortunate in one regard. That morning, the news that Happily Ever After was replacing Wishes! broke. This meant we’d have a final chance to say goodbye to the show before it was retired in May.
We got another late start to the day, but with only about 5 attractions on the agenda, this was not a huge issue. We took the boat over from Fort Wilderness, passing by the new Copper Creek Villas’ construction along the way…
I love the approach via the boats. I think this is underrated, in fact. Everyone loves the monorail resorts for their unique quality and convenience, but the boats offer a similar experience. They just are not nearly as unique as a monorail, and are arguably less convenient.
With the monorail, there’s a certain predictability in knowing that the next monorail is only a few minutes away. There’s a longer interval between boats and the commute is slightly longer and not as as predictable, but I don’t find them to be any less convenient. Additionally, the boats don’t tend to break down like the monorails.
For a lot of people, I think the difference really comes down to predictability. I get this, and it’s the same reason I tend to prefer the monorail resorts over ones with boat transportation.
Interestingly, now that the bus wait time board has appeared at resorts, I’m far more comfortable with those than I was before–even if they are not more efficient. The ‘fear of the unknown,’ so to speak, with the buses is what used to get me. You’d never know if the next bus was 5 minutes or 35 minutes away.
A decade from now, when Disney announces (probably via some holographic chip implanted in our heads) that the Move It! Shake It! Whatever It! Roaming Noise Festival is retired, people will mourn that.
Even I will probably be sad, recalling many “fond” memories of having the delightful ambiance of Main Street interrupted by the loud discord of pop music being blasted from boxes on wheels. Or not.
We started out the morning by heading over to Adventureland, where the plan was to do Pirates of the Caribbean.
Then, it was time for the Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover, which was (thankfully!) operating.
After that, my parents wanted to do Plaza Restaurant, so we headed there for lunch…
I had the Cheese Steak Sandwich. It was pretty much exactly what you’d expect. Definitely higher quality than similar iterations of this that you’d find at a counter service restaurant, and worth the slight premium in price (at least, to me).
Sarah had the Honey Barbecue Beef Brisket Burger. It was a bit too greasy for her tastes (I’ve had it in the past–it’s glorious), but she still thought it was a good option.
I don’t recall what my parents had, but since I didn’t take photos of their food, that means they probably ordered the burger and/or cheese steak sandwich, too.
For my drink, I also ordered the All-You-Care-To-Enjoy Milk Shake. Of course, for the sake of research, I had to try all four flavors.
They were all fine, but none stood out like the ones at 50’s Prime Time Cafe. By comparison, these seemed diluted and lower quality. Given that they were unlimited, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the case.
Since no person needs four milkshakes over the course of a meal, I’d much rather have a high-quality milkshake that isn’t bottomless.
My Chocolate PB&J Milk Shake at 50’s Prime Time Cafe was about a shake and a half, was perfectly filling, and cheaper. I’d take it any day of the week over what Plaza Restaurant offers. Oh well, live and learn.
Plaza Restaurant has been a restaurant we strongly recommend as a way to have a table service meal at near counter service prices, and while that’s still mostly true, they can still “get you” with the appetizer and dessert prices, which are decidedly table service prices.
My “research” (you’re welcome) left me what was either a food coma or a prolonged state of brain freeze. Either way, there’s about an hour and a half gap in my memory and photos during which time we did…who knows what. I’m 95% sure we did Carousel of Progress. If so, I watched through my eyelids.
There’s also the possibility that I passed out on a bench, and everyone else abandoned me and went over to Epcot to drink around the World Showcase. I’ll never really know for sure.
It’d be impossible to forget what we did next, which was watch “The Muppets Present… Great Moments in American History.” If you haven’t seen this yet, make a point of stopping on your next trip. It’s the best addition to Magic Kingdom in years, and one of my favorite overall attractions.
I hope this show proves popular with guests, and continues to evolve with additional skits. A new segment about how angry Andrew Jackson was after he saw what was happening with regard to the Civil War seems like it’d be educational for some.
My mom didn’t have dessert with lunch, wanting to try a Citrus Swirl.
It was getting to be late afternoon by this point, and I think my parents were getting worn out from the trip. They had set out to see everything they wanted to see in Magic Kingdom, so they decided to head back to Fort Wilderness for the evening before their flight back to Michigan the next morning. I tried to convince them to stay, noting it was their last chance to see Wishes, but to no avail. On Page 2, we’ll cover evening in Magic Kingdom, including our last-ever viewing of Wishes and dinner at California Grill…
We just returned from a week at WDW, and I wanted to comment on the Muppets’ Great Moments in History. We were planning for a 4:15 show, but were ahead of schedule and saw one about an hour earlier (on the Declaration of Independence). We then were coming back through Liberty Square at 4:10 and noticed the rope on the ground (the Great Moments in History analog of the parade masking tape), and waited for the show again. This time it was on the ride of Paul Revere. Both shows were great. If you like Muppets, plan to be in the area for more than one showing. You are likely to see entirely different, but similarly wonderful, performances.
(I have no idea what all this Andrew Jackson talk is about either, but I absolutely love it.)
Also, thanks for the tip on taking fireworks pictures at the TTC. This was our last viewing of Wishes, and there were several photographers with their tripods at that location. Wonderful perspective on the show. We went there the day we arrived, and didn’t have to use up a day on our tickets to see a great show and get some good photos.
I’m pretty obsessed with your trip reports. Not just because they’re full of great information, but the throwaway jokes like ” A new segment about how angry Andrew Jackson was after he saw what was happening with regard to the Civil War seems like it’d be educational for some” are just PRICELESS.
The downside to topical jokes like that is 5 years from now when someone stumbles upon this post, doesn’t remember this being news, and just thinks I’m a total idiot for thinking Andrew Jackson could have been angry about the Civil War.
This was one of my favourite blog series to read! Fantastic reports! Yes indeed nostalgia is a powerful tool! As always, thanks for sharing Tom!
I have three young-ish children-and I do not like the “move it “parade! I always am ashamed to admit this-it seems somehow wrong to not find the parade fun but I don’t. Makes Main Street etc completely impassable. And as much as I have tried to lighten up and enjoy it -I can not. Its obnoxious!! ( I still feel guilty writing those words!)
Thank you so much for sharing!
I’m definitely a little sad that I didn’t know my July 2016 view of Wishes from the beach at the Grand was going to be my last viewing of those fireworks. That song chokes me up pretty hard, even in the car! Again, it’s probably more about the memories than the caliber of the show…but those memories are pretty powerful!
Great article as usual just don’t get political please.
There was nothing political about this post. It made a light-hearted joke vaguely referencing a current event that casual observers of the news might not even pick up on.
Amazing photos!
Ah Move It! Shake It! This is what made my friend like Disney, haha. She took her family begrudgingly after a work conference held there. She has long been an opponent of Disney, doesn’t understand why I would want to go fairly regularly (especially without kids of my own) but I convinced her to make a vacation of it with her family. Her 3 year old daughter loves to dance. When she came back she gushed over pictures of daughter dancing in magic kingdom and now she’s a fan 🙂 That’s the great thing about Disney, there really is something for everyone.
I feel like parents have a soft spot for things like this because it resonates with their kids. For me, that does not excuse poor quality. The fact is that Mickey Mouse could come out and stand on top of a milk crate with a portable boom box and kids would love that because it’s Mickey and music. The parent, in turn, “enjoys” the experience because they saw it through the eyes of their kids.
The generic retort to this is, “So what?! Disney is for kids!” However, if you fill an entire theme park with low-quality experiences like this dance party, I’m sure those same parents would grow weary of it. The (lack of) quality of this dance party is jut a lot less noticeable because kids seem to love it. That does not mean it could not, or should not, be better.
A lot of kids love playing in cardboard boxes or putting non-edible things in their mouthes. Doesn’t mean you should give your kids empty boxes for Christmas or feed them plastic. 😉
The Move It Shake It Noise Festival was always the bane of my existence at the MK. It is just awful. For my 3 year old son, however, watching it/participating in it was one of highlights of our trip last fall. We didn’t even mean to see it! It happened to be occurring at the exact same time we were leaving lunch at Crystal Palace to go back to our resort for a nap. He watches a video of himself watching/dancing in it almost daily.
The one positive I can find in the Noise Fest is that my son loves it and can experience it, unlike the 3:00 parade. 3:00 is an awful time for a parade. While my kids are in the target age bracket for parades, they will be too young to stay in the park until 3 PM without a nap/break. It would be great if the Noise Fest were a better experience for everyone, but for now, I am trying to appreciate it for what it is – pure joy for my toddler who would never make it until the 3:00 parade without a meltdown(s).
I can’t take any issue with this perspective. You see the Noise Festival for what it is, but are at least able to make lemonade out of lemons with it! 🙂
Thoroughly enjoying all the trip reports this year. Please keep them coming!
Love the post! We’ve just spent a week on deluxe dining doing character breakfast and signature dinners and can highly recommend it. Highlights we’re the Adventure Breakfast at Trattoria al Forno, California Grill Brunch and the revamped Flying Fish. We’re still recovering from the food coma!
“A new segment about how angry Andrew Jackson was after he saw what was happening with regard to the Civil War seems like it’d be educational for some”
Cyber high-five. This was the cherry on top of a terrific trip report sundae.
I have really enjoyed your series of family trip reports, especially about our family’s comfort with splitting up when members of your party have different ideas about what makes a good vacation for them. I am usually in charge of planning our extended family trips, and I feel like I am always spending a great deal of energy trying to accommodate as many people as possible. In reality, my family members are really very laid back most of the time and are happy to wander/people watch if some of us are going on a ride they are not interested in. Your posts have reminded me that I really need to just take a deep breathe and accept that my family members really are enjoying themselves, even when we are not all doing the same thing.
And if Jackson was that angry about the Civil War, just imagine how he would feel about the end of Wishes!
*your family.
oops
At the risk of sounding like “one of those” (yep, I think that ship has sailed), I visit California Grill every time I visit. It’s got to the stage where I’m recognised when I arrive (by the staff, not the computer…). I think “oh, you again” is a compliment in America, isn’t it? 😉
I find the food, atmosphere and ambience sensational – as in out-of-this-world good, although I’d criticise the slight lack of choice when it comes to entrees. The other sensational thing is the price – excluding V&A, this is by far WDW’s most expensive restaurant. Not saying it isn’t worth it, quite the opposite, but if I were forced to do a value assessment I guess I would have to begrudgingly come down on “bad value”.
Did you try Express Transportation on this trip – I assume not, but what are your feelings about it? I tried it and was pretty underwhelmed – the only park pair it saves time transferring, assuming you want to land near the entrance of your destination park, is Magic Kingdom / Epcot due to skipping the TTC, which is unfortunate as that journey is one of the best (via the monorail).
I LOVE the Move It! Shake It! Put Earplugs in It! Roaming Noise Festival, only because of the catchy earworm song “Vamos” that I can not find on Spotify or anywhere else.
Nice that you got to say goodbye to Wishes! It’s a good thing they announced it that week 🙂
We’re going to be there on the 11th for it’s last show. (it’s my anniversary and I can’t resist, even if it’s a work night!). I don’t think I’ll have the stamina to be inside the park so I think we going to be watching at the TTC. I’m guessing the new show won’t be as good as Wishes from there, and I’ve always wanted to try it.
Thanks for sharing your emotion regarding your last view of Wishes…it’s a terrific show and glad you got to say goodbye! Also…I had to chuckle when your parents bailed, but you and Sarah still ran around the park! It made me feel better for not hanging with my folks when they want to bail….I can never leave a park until I feel like I got “full value”.
Oh my gosh, I laughed so hard at that Andrew Jackson/Civil War comment…way to be current, Tom!~
I don’t know how the Civil War is “current,” but okay…? 🙂
Nearly had a spit take when I read it, hilarious. Well, sad, but you know…
I know it’s chic to denigrate the Move It party, but I don’t hate it. The CM’s have a ton of energy and the families/kids around it seem to be really enjoying themselves. It is overly loud, but it’s fairly short.
I know you are more the “wandering” in the park types, but your MK day consisted of 2x Carousel or Progress, Pirates, 3x peoplemover, and the Muppets? That is definitely a relaxed pace! (Not meant as criticism – to each, their own.)
If it were something that were only running for a limited time promotion, I could maybe see your point. However, this is now almost a decade old and is about the cheapest-produced piece of entertainment possible. The units themselves are simply not Disney-quality.
Love the sick Trump burn!
I have no idea what you’re talking about. 🙂