Chasing Sunsets - Day Two - Magic Kingdom & Applebees

[LLKJDisney]

DAY 2 – Wednesday 17th May – MAGIC KINGDOM

We had set our alarms for 6am – well it had been 4 years since we last went to Magic Kingdom! As it turned out we need not have bothered as Lee was up at 4.45am, which of course means everyone else has to get up even though he is very quiet

The boys were up just before 6 and Sue and Dick soon followed, we had breakfast in the Villa. A mixture of cereal, toast and scrambled eggs was served as well as lots of tea. We were ready to go by 7.45am, which was the time we wanted to leave so that was a good start. We put our Magic Bands on and off we went,

we paid at the parking booth at 8.07am. If you have read previous trip reports, you will be aware that Sue has quite bad COPD so has a disabled badge. We parked in the disabled zone and walked up to the bag check area. We were through in no time although the checks were much more meaningful than they were in previous visits.

Lucas chose the ferry and we walked straight on and pulled off almost immediately. We sat on the upper deck. It was brilliant to see how excited Lucas was when he saw the castle in the distance.

Jacob was excited too but tried to be cool about it. We were straight through the turnstiles, no problems with our magic bands. We wanted to head towards 7DMT. As it was still only 8.50am we were held by the castle, we watched the opening ceremony, which was great and the boys really enjoyed it, and us adults.

When the park was officially opened we followed the stampede to the 7DMT. The line looked massive but it was moving all the time. The boys enjoyed the interactive bits of the queue. Although it was hot the queuing area was full of fans, which kept us cool. We made it on the ride by 9.30am which we were very happy with. Lucas and I managed to sit at the front as well which he loved. I know some people say its over rated but for first timers we all thought it was great.
And considering we did not scan our magic bands anywhere we got some fantastic ride photos and videos.

The plan as always was to get as much done in the morning as we could as heat and queues are not a good combo for our little Lucas. Next up we went on Winnie the Pooh, which was posted as a 20-minute wait but was only 10. Sue had promised to go on the cups and saucers with the boys, so they made her keep her promise and pulled Dick on as well. There was no wait here; Lee and me sat off, as we are not keen on spinning rides.
We made our way over to Philharmagic, which is a family favourite although Jacob is still not a massive fan of 3D rides so doesn’t always keep his glasses on. Theatre was only half full but it still annoyed me when people sat down in the middle of the row!

It was now time for our first FP, so we made our way towards Splash Mountain for our 10.10-11.10am slot, we got there at 10.40 and standby queue was 50 minutes so we were very happy to bypass that. Sue sat out and waited by the kids play area in the shade. Lucas continued his run of being at the front of rides, although this time Lee sat with him, as I knew they would get the wettest. We all got wet but not soaked and we were dry within 10 minutes. Jacob and Lucas loved it but I am not sure Lucas would choose the front seat again

We then had a 10 minute wait for our next FP which was for BTMRR. While we were waiting the boys had spotted people with Mickey cookie sandwiches and were desperate to get hold of one. We tried to make them wait until after the ride but not a chance.

They were consumed in record time and we were off to board our runaway train. It was great fun but it definitely makes you appreciate how smooth 7DMT is. We were bumped all over the place.

It was getting towards midday now and the park was heating and filling up at a vast rate. We had another FP for Peter Pan, which was for just after 1pm, so we wanted to keep going until then, as we knew that Peter Pan without a FP wasn’t really an option. On the walk back over to Peter Pan we checked out the queue for Haunted Mansion it was posted as a 30 minute wait and nobody was that fussed so we went to grab a drink instead. Sue received a complimentary Sprite, very unusual for Disney to give anything away. Lucas was asking for Candy Floss but we knew that could get messy so we persuaded him to wait in the hope that he would forget.
We still had a bit of time to kill so we opted for IASW, to say the boys were not keen on queuing for this would be an understatement. The adults all like it so we made them suck it up. Lee tried to keep Jacob entertained by getting him to count all the money in the water, there must be thousands of dollars in there. After a 25-minute wait we boarded our boat and had a good old singsong. It passed the time well and at least it was cool in there.

We went straight over to Peter Pan and bypassed the hour standby queue. Although we enjoy this ride I don’t get why the queue is always so long (although it is a slow loader)
We had achieved our goals and a bit more for today, so we headed towards the exit, however there was no way we were walking past the ice cream parlour on Main Street without Lee going in. We all wanted an ice cream. We managed to grab a seat outside which was good so we sat and ate our ice creams and people watched. The boys soon learnt they needed to eat their ice cream a bit quicker otherwise it would be liquid. Jacob especially likes to take his time. Once we had finished our delicious ice creams we made our way out via the shops.

We spotted Pluto on the way out and joined the queue so Lucas could get his first signature in his book. His little face lit up when he hugged Pluto.

However once we had finished with Pluto he started to whinge that his feet hurt. Lee and I had talked about getting a stroller for him, he would never go in one at home but we knew that his little legs would struggle with the walking. We decided to grab a cheap one from Walmart on our next visit. On the way out the little man spotted a Candy Floss cart and guess what? He remembered his Daddy had said he could have some later. So $7 later he had his Candy Floss.

We were back at the car by 2pm; we used the monorail to exit. We made it back to the Villa by 2.20pm. Thankfully the pool seemed to be warming up; the boys didn’t care and were soon in the swimsuits and bombing into the pool. Dick joined them, while the rest of us relaxed with a cup of tea. Lee somehow managed to find Man Utd vs Southampton on the TV.

We sat round the pool soaking up the rays; we noticed 4 large birds at the side of the lake. On closer inspection they were identified as Turkey Vultures (Dick googled them) they were tucking in to a dead turtle that was on the bank of the lake. They spent a good ½ hour pecking away, one tried to fly off with it at one point but it was too heavy.

Tummies were now rumbling, we gave Jacob the choice of restaurant and he selected Applebee’s. We went to the one at Rolling Oaks, arriving just before 4.30pm and as expected it was very quiet. Justin was our server he was very good.
I went for fish and chips
Lee – Chicken breast, mash and fries
Jacob – Chicken Tenders and mash
Lucas – Chicken Breast and Apple Slices
Sue – Steak, Baked Potato and Broccoli and of course Sprite no ice
Dick – Bourbon Chicken, Shrimp and Stella x2 as it was happy hour

Food was all-good and bill was around £90 plus tip. We still had a bit of energy left so went over to Super Target, we had a browse and purchased a stroller and yet more snacks. Sue and I popped into the Dollar Tree and grabbed a few bits and bobs including some more water shooters. We had a look in Ross but it was like a jumble sale so soon came out.

Back to the Villa and the pool heating was definitely working as the pool was now 88 degrees and like a bath! The boys insisted on another swim, Lee went in with them; he also made use of the hot tub. The rest of us rested our sore feet and enjoyed the warmth of the late Florida evening sun. We did our first load of washing, which finished in record time. My machine at home takes 2 ½ hours this one took 35 minutes a cycle. We ended up watching The Fugitive on TV before going to bed just before 10pm.

It had been a lovely day, which had surprisingly gone to plan. Tomorrow we are off to Animal Kingdom so another early start.

[Floridaagogo]

Some lovely pics of your boys ❤️ Is it sad that I get excited about how quick the washing machine cycle is when I'm there 😳😳

[LLKJDisney]

Originally Posted by Floridaagogo

Some lovely pics of your boys ❤️ Is it sad that I get excited about how quick the washing machine cycle is when I'm there 😳😳

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Not at all. I wish I could have bought it home with me 😉

[collybird]

I love the short washing cycles too but I do think our machines clean better!

[MrsH070707]

What a great day - I have a total love affair with villa washers and dryers too! Ha ha

[Pussycat Doll]

Lovely day! It's great when things go to plan! X

[fillmore]

A great day - does Jacob remember his visit to WDW 4 years ago? Have you noticed many changes? I bet you're so excited to be back there!

[Mortimer Mouse]

Lovely photo of your boys together when you arrive at MK.

[codym]

Brilliant day, love when it all just goes to plan. I love using the washing machine in the villa would never put on a wash on another holiday but love it there

[LLKJDisney]

Originally Posted by fillmore

A great day - does Jacob remember his visit to WDW 4 years ago? Have you noticed many changes? I bet you're so excited to be back there!

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Jacob absolutely does remember, i think 4 years is a good gap for disney.

Not much had changed, the new fast pass thing was the biggest change. Soarin had changed, and 7DMT wasn't open the last time we went.

It just means you have to keep going back!

Thanks for reading along