... and Then There Were 3, Orlando Feb 2019 - Day 4 - Magic kingdom, Cosmic Rays & Fountain View Caf

[ally1966]

We managed to sleep till 7am. DH said that his knees felt much better so, as long as we took it slowly and didn't over do things we were OK to go ahead with our planned day at Magic Kingdom. DD & I thought that it was only appropriate to dress in our Mickey / Minnie t-shirts for the occasion.

We debated going somewhere for breakfast before heading out but we weren't particularly hungry so decided not to bother. DD filled up on bananas and Pringles before we left the room.

We booked an Uber ($20.85) which arrived in just 2 minutes and we were soon dropped off in the WDW Ticket & Transportation Centre. I wanted to arrive by ferry so we could see the castle as we approached the park - a much more magical start IMHO, especially for DD. However, today was our coolest morning so far and once on the ferry she announced that she was freezing (it was still nearly 20 degrees!) and spent most of the trip across the lake complaining and shivering - not quite the magical start that I'd planned!

Neither mine nor DH's finger print scan worked at the entrance so a supervisor had to be called. This was quickly sorted out and we were soon in side the park which looked like it was already getting quite busy.

We stopped for photos in front of the castle.

Our first FP was for Space Mountain at 9.40 so we made our way into Tomorrow Land.

On our way passed the old Stitches Great Escape ride which is now closed (no great loss!) DD noticed that they were using this venue for a Stitch meet and greet. Despite insisting before the holiday that she was too old to collect character autographs 😢 and refusing to meet any of the characters in Epcot on Friday, Stitch is her absolute favourite so she had to stop for a hug!

The wait time here was minimal.

I've just realised that I seem to very short on photos from today!

DD was slightly nervous about Space Mountain as she couldn't remember going on it previously and couldn't see what the ride was like before boarding. We needn't have worried, she loved it! My legs however felt like jelly when we got off.

She had spotted the Astro Orbitor on the way over and was keen to try that. The posted wait was 20 mins so we decided to give it a go. I don't think that we've ever ridden this before and it was OK - DD enjoyed it.

By now DH was ready for a sit down and as we were close to The Carousel of Progress, which is one of his favourites we went in there for a rest.

Our next FP wasn't till 12 so we decided that now would be a good time to stop for lunch. We went to Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe. We've eaten here before and it's typical theme park fast food - DH got a bacon cheeseburger with fries which he added to at the toppings bar.

I had a pulled pork sandwich and fries which was juicy and full of meat. Neither DH nor I bothered with drinks as we had brought our water bottles with us.

DD had the kids chicken nugget meal which comes with a drink, she chose apple juice, and a pouch of squeezy apple.

The cost of this meal was $35.15. Expensive for what it was but I guess that you have to expect that if you eat in the theme parks.

By the time we'd eaten it was 12.30 so we headed across the park to our next FP on Splash Mountain.
We all loved this ride and although we were at the front of our boat, managed not to get too wet.

DH nearly lost his cap which flew off on the big drop and was saved by the lady sitting behind him!

We had an hour to kill before our final FP on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. By now the park was getting very busy and most rides had wait times of at least 50 or 60 mins. We've never actually experienced the parks like this and it came as a bit of a shock. Even if we'd had time to wait, DHs knees wouldn't have allowed us to stand in a queue for that long today.

DD spotted the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse and was keen to take a look. We've never actually bothered with this before and I was quite impressed with the attention to detail. DD couldn't believe that the tree wasn't real!

From the top there are great views across the park to Space Mountain where we were this morning.

DH commented that this whole attraction reminded him of one of Disney's themed queues... but without the benefit of a ride at the end!

We descended the tree and went across to the Enchanted Tikki Rooms where a show was just about to begin. This is another attraction that we usually skip but with no wait it gave DH another chance for a sit down. We actually found it quite amusing and DD loved all the singing birds.

Our Fast pass window was now open so we headed back into Frontier land. We all loved this and agreed that it was the best of the 3 mountains and our favourite ride of the day. DD wanted to do it again but by now the standby queue was 90 minutes.

As we'd used our 3 FPs I checked the MDE app to see what else was available. The only thing that appealed was Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin at 3.50, so I booked that. It was still 2 hours away so we debated what to do next.

We toyed with the idea of watching the parade but DH said that he just couldn't cope with standing around waiting for that long today. So we decided to give It's a Small World a go. DD took some convincing but we reminded her that on her very first visit in 2008 (pic above) this was actually her favourite ride. She was transfixed by it then and secretly quite enjoyed it today! She came off with the song stuck in her head and was singing it for the rest of the day.

Our next stop was at Mickey's Philharmagic, another old favourite which amused DD and didn't disappoint.

By the time we'd stopped for an ice cream break - Mickey bars for DH and DD and a Strawberry ice bar for me - (yes, I know that I said never again!) it was time for Buzz.

We chose to all go together in one car so I sat in the middle and controlled the spin whilst DD and DH competed to see who could get the highest score. I don't think that either of them had the foggiest idea where they were aiming but it was great fun and DH won.

We decided to call it a day now as DH really had had enough. We'd had a lovely day and thanks to the constraints imposed by DH's problems walking and the larger than expected crowds we'd tried some new (to us) and different things. We'd maybe not covered everything that I'd been hoping for but we'll be back on Thursday and have FPs booked for some of the things that we missed today.

We got the Monorail back to the T&TC where we called another Uber ($21.31) to take us back to the hotel.

Once back at the Rosen, DH wanted a proper rest so DD and I decided to go to the pool for an hour or so. We took the ball that I'd bought the other night but it was getting quite windy and the ball kept blowing away so we gave that up as a bad job and DD practiced swimming widths instead. She isn't a very confident swimmer but I can see an improvement even since we got here.

After our swim we were freezing so we got showered and changed into warmer clothes before heading out for dinner.

DH didn't want to walk too far so we decided to try the Fountain View Cafe which is the restaurant at the hotel. We have eaten here before but not since our 2008 visit as we've found better choice and value elsewhere but the food is OK and tonight it served a purpose.

The main course offerings tonight were carved roast beef, herb roasted chicken, teriyaki chicken, ham with fruit sauce, cheese pizza and chicken tenders.

It is an all you can eat buffet. The price on the menu is $13.99 for adults and $6.99 for children which seems reasonable but doesn't include tax or gratuity which is added automatically.

DH and I both had beef and chicken. The beef was too well done for my liking and quite chewy. The herb roasted chicken was lovely but DH also tried the Teriyaki chicken which he said was very dry. I had mine with roast potatoes whilst DH had mash.

I also had a taste of the ham in fruit sauce ( just for research purposes!) which I expected to be a bit like sweet and sour but it was just odd. It was a strange mix of flavours and had sultanas in it along with the more usual pineapple.

DD had pizza and chips followed by a couple of chicken tenders and more chips. There were no complaints and she cleared her plate (which is unusual!) so I assume that she enjoyed it.

For dessert both DH and I had apple pie and ice cream. DD just had a bowl of ice cream.

We decided to treat ourselves to a drink with the meal, something that we rarely do as most places seem to charge more for the alcohol than the food! DH had a Bud and I had a glass of wine.

Over all this meal was nice enough but at $54.57 it was our most expensive yet and didn't really stand out.

We were back in the room for 8pm and watched TV till we fell asleep - some Marvel superhero film that DD was keen to watch; I'm not sure which one it was cos I wasn't really paying much attention and may have drifted off at some point 😜😴

Tomorrow Seaworld and I promise to try harder with the photos!

Day 5 is here:- https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/sho...7#post13710127

[app]

New Photo Added by ally1966 - 26 Feb 19 9:29 AM.

[mick]

Another good day shame about your husbands knee as a fellow sufferer I know just what he means about standing in one place


Joan

[ally1966]

Originally Posted by mick

Another good day shame about your husbands knee as a fellow sufferer I know just what he means about standing in one place


Joan

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It is a shame Joan. It’s arthritis and he knows that he will eventually need a knee replacement, he’s already had one hip done. His surgeon’s said that at 57 he’s still too young to have the knee done unless it seizes up completely. Normally he manages pretty well on pain killers but he does find it hard to stand in one place for long periods so queuing’s not good! x

[Mexy02]

I agree alcohol prices bump up the bill considerably . That such a cute photo of your dd . Great day , but having arthritis myself I can sympathise

[Floridaagogo]

Dh is 44 and also needs a new knee but they won’t do it.Totally governs the holiday as we have to go at his pace,but he tries to push himself {too hard sometimes } .we bought a roll on ,in Walmart,called aspercreme lidocaine roll on which he carried with him and it helped a lot ( we bought seven of them to bring home &#128556

[ally1966]

Originally Posted by Floridaagogo

Dh is 44 and also needs a new knee but they won’t do it.Totally governs the holiday as we have to go at his pace,but he tries to push himself {too hard sometimes } .we bought a roll on ,in Walmart,called aspercreme lidocaine roll on which he carried with him and it helped a lot ( we bought seven of them to bring home &#128556

See more...

Thanks for this, sorry that I didn’t reply sooner but I’ve only just caught up with comments. We only have 2 days left now so might be too late to salvage this holiday but we’ll definitely get some to take home.

The amount of bother that he’s had with his knee has taken us both totally by surprise. At home he has trouble standing, so we knew that long wait times might be an issue but walking doesn’t usually bother him. He’s actually a window cleaner so is not only on his feet all day but also climbing up and down ladders. In fact it’s usually more likely to seize up if he sits still for too long!

[Excitedx4]

A great day at MK and your hubby did well to withstand such a day it’s hard going with no problems!