One "disadvantage" of living so close is that we're no longer vacationers staying on property. I used to look down my nose at the poor, sad guests who didn't have the experience of staying at a Disney resort. Herded through parking lots and onto trams, they weren't greeted with the magic of music at the resort, music on the bus, music at the gate and music throughout the midways. Then they were dumped off the tram at the end of the day, forced to rack their exhausted brains for reminders like "Goofy 52" and the stifling heat of their car, once they've found it, at the end of an August day in Central Florida. Now, we are those guests.
On the upside, we ride the monorail every time we visit Magic Kingdom. No longer receiving the "door to door" service of a Disney bus, we park at the TTC (Transportation & Ticket Center for the un-indoctrinated) only to be reminded that we are still a mile & a half away from the magic. We walk to the station, up the ramp, and then are greeted with a quick rush of air conditioning as the doors open. Then, the greeting, "Welcome aboard the Walt Disney World express monorail. Your highway in the sky. Please stand clear of the doors. ¡Por favor manténgase alejado de las puertas!" Music to my ears, it means we're on our way.
Of course, it's not all perfect every ride. If we can get a seat, we have to argue with DD over whether to sit riding forward (my preference) or backward (hers). Usually my motion sickness or the availability of seats determines the winner. If we can't get a seat, we have to try to keep everyone together, not bump into strangers when we move forward or stop and keep our hands from grabbing the door hinges, which look like poles for hanging on to, but aren't. Really, they aren't, they spin. And there are other dangers. One time, a gentleman from a middle eastern country and I had to share a pole. He moved his hand out of my way just as I was moving to hold on. He and I kept trying to avoid each other and finally settled on where to place our hands, and I joked, as people trying to get out of each others' way do, "Wanna dance?" He looked offended, not understanding my very forward, American joke and I felt like an idiot. That was one very long monorail ride.
So Monday, DH, DD & I went to Magic Kingdom for the official Four Parks, One Blog kickoff. It was slow, as it was about 3:30 in the afternoon, and a train had just pulled into the station. There was absolutely no one in front of us, and DH suggested we ask about riding up front. We both doubted it was possible, but I asked the cast member and he said no, that they aren't allowing that anymore, with a sort of finality. I'm not surprised at all, I doubt that Disney will allow guests in the driver's car any time in the near future. It's been a tough year for this part of the Mouse's family, and I expect they'll be given a lot of room to grieve.
We did, however, get the whole front half of the first passenger car to ourselves. We got to stretch out and watch the World go by. It was sunny and there was so much activity going on around us. There was even a boat going over the water bridge from Seven Seas Lagoon to Bay Lake. I must also say that Bay Lake Tower is a lovely building. Riding by and watching the sunlight glitter off the windows with the backdrop of the water makes for a beautiful scene.
We pulled into the station and exited the monorail. The station at Magic Kingdom is beautiful. Far less stark than the utilitarian TTC station, it has green wrought iron posts, the roof has a decorative trim, and brick floors. It really sets the tone for what is to come, and what is to come is . . .
Magic Kingdom. My favorite park, the one that represents Disney magic in nearly all forms. We decided to stick with the transportation theme for this blog entry, and chose to ride the full loop on the Walt Disney World Railroad. In that station, which mirrors the monorail station in style, we took a moment before boarding the train to watch the flip book movies and play with the baseball game. Once on the train, we took care to notice all we'd missed in the past. The details on the lamps which hang from the ceiling, brass accented and decorated with small scroll work. The lushness of the surrounding plant life. As we journeyed through Frontierland, we glimpsed Goofy signing autographs while dressed as a cowboy between Splash Mountain & Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, we took in the sights in Tumbleweed and watched the roller coaster ride through the tiny town and we enjoyed the view of the singing animals on the paddle wheel inside Splash Mountain.
To keep the riders occupied while riding around Fantasyland, there are some Native American scenes, as well as an excerpt of the song, "Colors of the Wind." There are some tee pees, people, AAs (audio-animatronics) of people and animals, and a few fake deer, and in that spot DH & I once saw a real deer nearby. We said, "wow! That is one realistic AA!" until it walked into the woods. Personally, this isn't my favorite part of the ride. I think music themed to the scenery would be fine, and no narration necessary. There are few opportunities to just sit and relax during your visits to the park while you still feel like you're actively experiencing something, and they should let guests enjoy just being in that moment.
The rest of the train ride is pleasant. Along the way you can see the inside of the park, like at the Mickey's Toontown Fair stop. You can see all along the midway here, and it reminds me there of what an old-fashioned amusement park would look like. Children carrying balloons, colorful scenery, the sounds of music and playful screams on Goofy's Barnstormer all make the view from the train more memorable. After Toontown, there is our favorite path, decorated with Alice in Wonderland characters that connects it with Tomorrowland. From the train we can see parts of the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway and the outside of Space Mountain. After we curled past the futuristic white "mountain" we headed into the station.
We wrapped up our visit with a walk through shops on Main Street and a few quick stops in Fantasyland and Liberty Square. We left the park that day satisfied with the start of our year-long tour and planning our next blog-inspired adventure. We boarded the monorail to the TTC and delighted once more that day in the words, "por favor manténgase alejado de las puertas."
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