The 3 Mouseketeers Non-Stop WDW Adventure (Aug 2018) Day 5 - MK, Frozen Dessert Party

[Custancia]

Day 4 is here

We arrived at MK just before 8am, and given that the park didn’t open until 9am, there were a surprising number of people already waiting at the park. As we strolled into the park entrance, we could see one of the main street vehicles and driver so we stopped to admire the vehicle and were offered a lift up Main Street. It was nice to notice the detailing, and side streets, as we traveled up Main Street.

Our chauffeur pointed out that lots of people seemed oblivious to the vehicle coming up behind them.

As we had an ADR for Breakfast at Be Our Guest we were able to go out of Main Street –where the cast members were holding everyone until park opening- but we had to go by the side of the castle as that was the only route open.

We came across a Photopass Photographer so stopped to have a few photos. We then realised it was almost 8.20am, our ADR time, so decided we’d better get a move on. We still managed to pause to take a few photos of a more or less empty Fantasyland though!

I love the view of the castle from the back - there is so much detail.

We walked over the bridge to Be Our Guest, I love this new(ish) land!

We checked in at Be Our Guest, and were once again struck by the gorgeous theming of the restaurant. We’d pre-ordered our meals on MDE, so they just checked our order and asked us to sit anywhere we chose (and they’d use Disney magic to find us and bring our food).

We decided to sit in the East Room, as it’s a little quieter than the main hall.

We had ordered soft drinks, but also helped ourselves to coffee from the drinks station. I recently realised that I could have ordered a mimosa instead, so I might try that next time (especially since there is no active restriction on helping yourself to a soft drink too)!

There was a plate of pastries to share between us (I occasionally consider making separate bookings for each of us, so that we'd get a plate each - but that really is just being greedy, and I have no idea how I'd eat so much!)

DD and DH had relatively savoury breakfasts:

Whereas I had the croissant donut - which was very sweet! (yummy though if you've got a sweet tooth like me!)

We really enjoy breakfast at BOG and think it’s an excellent use of a quick service dining credit – not so sure I’d want to pay those prices OOP though.

We’d decided, when planning, that given we were next to Seven Dwarves Mine Train that we’d schedule our first FastPass for that. Because we were in the park ahead of the crowds though – they were just starting to reach the ride as we came out of Be Our Guest, we went through standby as a walk-on, but the queue had built up to about 40 mins when we came out, so we went on a second time using our FP.

We headed back to the main Fantasyland Area and all had an attempt at the Sword in the Stone. As usual, none of us were the chosen one . Peter Pan had an advertised 35 minute standby queue, as it was still early, so DH and I decided to do that as we love the interactivity of the queue.

I particularly love the bedroom area where you can see Tinkerbell's light moving around the room and making things rattle. DH loves the shadows, with the bells and butterflies (where you can reach out and make the bell shadows ring, or get shadow butterflies to land on your hands). I've just re-read that sentence, and if you've done it, you'll know what I mean, but if not, I'm really sorry it will make no sense!

DD decided it was too long a queue (even though we told her it would almost certainly be shorter) so she decided to take herself on It’s a Small World instead.

We met back up outside IASM, and then went on Winnie the Pooh together. This queue also has some lovely things to try to make the queue less boring.

However, our favourite section is where you can use your hand to 'virtually' move the honey and find hidden pictures behind it. Obviously, given our love of Piglet, we like finding Piglet best!

I should add that when I say we went on the ride together, it’s a bit of a squash getting all three of us in a honey pot, so we split into 2 pots. We have found that at busier times (which this wasn’t) that CM’s will try to put us all in one, so rather than quibble, or be cramped, we often just tell them that we are a group of 2 and 1, rather than group of 3.

The ride exits into a shop - luckily, Piglet is always really under-represented in the Merchandise, otherwise we would struggle to get out of the shop! We do like the ways Disney themes all the shops though.

After this, we were starting to feel the heat, so we decided to see Mickey’s Philharmagic, and have a nice aircon sit down (and we love the 3-D show). It was still relatively quiet in parts of the park.

DD had been very excited about going on her favourite ride, Big Thunder Mountain, next but it had gone tech, so whilst we were in Philharmagic our Fastpasses transformed from BTM to anytime/anyride Fastpasses. So we headed over to Haunted Mansion instead, for a ride in the Doom Buggies. DD is not too keen on this ride, especially the stretching room segment, so she felt it was a poor replacement for Big Thunder Mountain! We were all humming/singing "Grim Grinning Ghosts" by the time we came out though.

When we came out we say this buggy! The little girl/princess looked very regal (I think it may fall foul of the restricted buggy sizes now though.)

Although we’d drunk plenty at Be Our Guest, we were starting to feel a bit dehydrated, so we called in at Pecos Bill to get some free water (to which we’d add squash concentrate). We were pleased to find that there were a number of stacked small cups of water on a tray, so you could just help yourself rather than having to explain what you needed at a till.

Our day plan had suggested trying to catch the Muppet's Great Moments from History at Liberty Square, but this wasn’t to be, so we headed over towards Splash Mountain for our final fastpass. I love this view of it!

On our way we noticed a couple of Country Bears out for an informal Meet and Greet – they had some great interactions with people passing by, and it was lovely to meet them!

After this unexpected encounter, we got to Splash Mountain. This is probably my favourite ride in Magic Kingdom. I love the theming, the big drop, and the very catchy tunes! The standby wait was quite long

So I'm glad we were able to use the FastPass entrance!

We got a little splashed - but we soon dried off in the heat. Did I mention that I really love this ride!

Then onto the Tiki Room to keep ourselves cool. We arrived whilst the exterior pre-show was on, so we didn't have to wait very long to get in!

This has grown on DH – initially, he had no time for this attraction. Now he’s willing to acknowledge it has a retro charm; knowing this was something that Walt himself was involved in, there’s a ton of details, and it has an innocent charm to it. And, of course, you get to sit indoors with aircon!

Feeling quite satisfied with all we’d achieved in the morning, and feeling like it had been a while since breakfast, it was time for our 12.20 lunchtime ADR! We had decided to try a few new places to eat this trip – and one of them was the Skipper’s Canteen. It's a little tucked back, but we managed to find it.

We love the Jungle Cruise, so reading that the theming and humour extended into the restaurant made us decide it was a must do. DD had put a lot of time and effort into researching the various restaurants before our holiday – and found out that we really wanted to request the Butterfly Table in the Sea Room.

Her research had paid off with a good table at Yak and Yeti a few days before, so we wanted to follow her advice here too! When we checked in, we asked if it was possible to get this specific table, and that we’d be happy to wait a bit longer for it (but obviously not, if another party had just sat down!). Luckily the table was free. We noticed some lovely theming of the main room/area as we walked though.

As we were taken over to the table, the CM asked when we’d last eaten there. She looked confused when we replied it was our first time; and asked how we knew which was the best table if we’d never been before? I explained that our DD always liked to do some research before setting off on an expedition! As she led us through the library doorway, she commented that we were lucky, as they are usually all booked up here. I also loved that we were offered some O2H to drink!

There were plenty of butterflies by our table!

The SEA room was nicely themed, with some lovely details.

We got some drinks whilst we looked at the menu. I had the Sangria, as DD's research had recommended it (her research was excellent on this too!). DH had a beer, and DD had a mocktail which we paid extra to have in a souvenir mug.

I didn't record exactly what we ordered - but I can definitely remember that we all really enjoyed it!

These are our mains:

These are our desserts. They were beautifully presented, but quite small. Very, very delicious though!

Whilst we waited for our order, I managed to book a 4th Fastpass , very appropriately for Jungle Cruise.
I’m glad we did, as there was a long standby queue – 80 minutes! I enjoy the corny jokes on this ride, but possibly not as much as DH who is often in stitches during the boatride (even through he's heard it all several times before!)

Then we caught the bus back to Riverside. Whilst we were on the bus, it rained – a lot! I was really glad I wasn’t driving – the visibility with all that bouncing rain was terrible. But it had completely stopped by the time we came to get off. Perfect timing.

Back in the room, we all felt the need for a ‘Disney nap’. With the assistance of an alarm call, we were awake by 5.30pm and by 6.40pm we were getting off the bus at Epcot!

First stop was Starbucks for a Strawberry Acai – I love that all the drinks are only a snack credit, even the really huge ones. We had considered getting a drink each, but since we both wanted the same, DH and I just got a huge Trenta size and shared.

DD had a tall caramel Frappucino, as she felt she needed the caffeine shot to keep going!

I’d managed to book a 5th Fastpass (after we’d finished our 4th on Jungle Cruise) for Soarin’. It was surprisingly only 15 mins standby wait, so not really needed (but obviously we didn’t know that when I booked it!).

We asked to go on B1 (so that we weren’t bothered by other people’s shoes dangling, or the Eiffel Tower being ‘bendy’). We had to wait until the next loading, but that few minutes wait was definitely worth it!

Then we made our way to the lake so that we could check in for our Frozen Dessert Party.

We arrived about 5 minutes before the stated time, but got in straight away and weren’t the first there! We were given a wrist band each, and taken to our table. DD liked that the wrist band went well with her glittery magic band (we'd ordered stickers for our magic bands before we went on holiday)

Seating was allocated onto tables. This was described as ‘family style seating’ – which we found out meant that you didn’t necessarily get your own table.

As a group of 3, we were sharing with 2 others; Jason, and his young daughter, Audrey. They seemed very nice and were from somewhere in the US (by very nice, I mean they introduced themselves, and made enough small talk that it didn’t feel really strange sharing a table with them, but weren’t too intrusive)

There was a good selection of drinks, with a hot drink station, mocktails, and canned soft drinks too

There were also alcoholic drinks available. I liked the cocktails, but DH found them a little strong. I never thought I’d end up ordering a “pina colada with less rum”!

There was a reasonable savoury selection. We all liked the ‘cheese fondue’, and it was especially good with broccoli.

Did you see that! Eating vegetables at WDW

There were also plenty of desserts. I liked the display of the desserts, with the 'ice' style tables.

DD really enjoyed the frozen popcorn, (caramel popcorn, briefly put in liquid nitrogen).

Not only did I eat broccoli, I also ate some fruit!

I like it when it gets darker, and the 'torches' get lit. I can feel my sense of excitement for Illuminations building...

As it got darker, the themed light on the table looked even prettier!

We stayed sat at our table, and as you can see, we had a good, unobstructed view.

Just before Illuminations started we were all provided with some cardboard glasses, which when we put them on turned the lights and the fireworks into snowflake patterns. Unfortunately, I was wearing them, not the camera, so you will just have to imagine

Then after Illuminations was finished, we were led by CM with glowing sticks to go on the Frozen Ride. It was a little strange walking against the crowds, but the CM made sure we got there safely. When we arrived, we showed our wrist bands to be let into the queue. As with most rides, the queue had some lovely themeing.

It was quite busy though, we were probably about 10-15 minute in the queue.

I asked if we could go on the front row, as DH was keen to sit there – and once again we had a short wait until the next boatload to accommodate this (worth it for an unobstructed ride photo though!).
Between the low light level, and the motion of the boat, I really struggled to take any pictures in the rides. This is probably the best

We took our time heading back out of the park. DD had got a new camera this year, and was keen to try to get some night-time shots, so we took a while explaining about lengthening the exposure time, and the benefit of using a tripod to hold the camera still (or if you’ve not brought your tripod, balancing the camera – safely! – on a handy bin or railing). Here are some taken walking back from Norway, and past Mexico:

DD also took some photos as we headed towards the ball

We also dawdled to look at the ‘light up’ paving with the colour changing lights (one of those lovely Disney details that rewards you for going slow and looking around). We took so long to get out of the park, that they’d changed some buses to different bus stops (due to the reduced service). There were CM’s around to make sure we got the right bus though.

Back at Riverside, we got off at the main stop, and DH and DD went into Fulton’s shop to buy a glasses case (as I had a WDW one that clipped onto my bag, and DH now also wanted one to clip onto his Chewbacca manbag). Whilst they were doing this, I detoured to the food court to pick up a couple of bottles of drink and a cup of water ( you can get free paper cups at the tills to get water, but you need to buy a chipped cup if you want to use the fountain drinks).

Still in a photographic mood, we took a few more pictures as we made our way to our mansions room. I love Riverside lit up at night!

Slightly, less picturesque, but here's also a picture from the internal hallway (with lifts) that we walked through to get from the far side of the building to our room!

We got into bed at 11.20, and I took a few minutes to try to make notes of the day - we'd crammed a fair bit in

Day 6 is here

[Goldia]

Wow, what a spectacular day. I only recently found out that you could get mimosas with the breakfast at BOG, we now have 2 ADRs for our next trip

I'm with you all the way as splash is also my favourite ride at MK. It sounds like you had a great morning.

Then a nap followed by a fab evening and some good 4th and 5th fps with getting Soarin even if the wait time was low.

I've never done one of the dessert parties, but it looked great. All the frozen themed cakes are so cute.

A lovely day!

[Custancia]

Originally Posted by Goldia

Wow, what a spectacular day. I only recently found out that you could get mimosas with the breakfast at BOG, we now have 2 ADRs for our next trip

I'm with you all the way as splash is also my favourite ride at MK. It sounds like you had a great morning.

Then a nap followed by a fab evening and some good 4th and 5th fps with getting Soarin even if the wait time was low.

I've never done one of the dessert parties, but it looked great. All the frozen themed cakes are so cute.

A lovely day!

See more...

It was a fabulous day, and one of the things I love about WDW is that pretty much everyday feels amazing and special in some way (if that makes sense?).

Maybe the mimosas weren’t available last August - Im sure that’s the only possible explanation for us both missing them last time

We did 3 dessert parties this trip - so another two to come! Not cheap, but very enjoyable!

[Goldia]

Originally Posted by Custancia

It was a fabulous day, and one of the things I love about WDW is that pretty much everyday feels amazing and special in some way (if that makes sense?).

Maybe the mimosas weren’t available last August - Im sure that’s the only possible explanation for us both missing them last time

We did 3 dessert parties this trip - so another two to come! Not cheap, but very enjoyable!

See more...

Yes that must be it. I feel confident we would have known if there were Mimosas. In fact I'm pretty sure I can smell them out at a 10 yards!

Wow, 3 dessert parties. Good on you. I just can't justify paying the adult prices for the kids. But one day. I'll look forward to reading about them in your report.

[Leia77]

Riverside looks lovely at night! I must admit, so impressed with all that you are fitting in each day 😊

[Custancia]

Originally Posted by Leia77

Riverside looks lovely at night! I must admit, so impressed with all that you are fitting in each day 😊

See more...

It is really lovely coming back from the parks and seeing Riverside all lit up on an evening.

I’m a little surprised myself, writing this trippie, just how much we did!

[jothp]

What a fantastic day with loads done. I love some of the night time pictures at at the end.